Creative kids shine in Express & Star's Design an Ad

The original and artistic creations featured everything from a Land Rover capable of fighting zombies to animals re-imagined as stationary.

In all the Express & Star received more than 1,000 entries from 26 schools, with each school paired with an advertiser.

The task for the youngsters was to come up with fresh and ground-breaking adverts for their school's firm.

Bosses at each company then had the difficult job of selecting their favourite design from those submitted. In April those adverts were included in a special supplement inside the Express & Star and our readers were asked to vote for whichever they considered to be the best.

And the creative minds behind each contender were invited to attend a special presentation event which was held at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre on Thursday.

Each was awarded a framed certificate, a £10 voucher for Waterstones and was reunited with their design.

Their schools were also winners and received a £50 voucher to spend at the book retailer for pupils.

This year's overall winner, voted for by readers, was 11-year-old Leah Price from St James's Primary School in Wollaston, Stourbridge.

The school had been paired with Blacks Vets and Leah drew inspiration for her design from her own cat, Bella.

She said: "I started by drawing the logo, which is of a dog, a cat and a rabbit, and then I thought I need to fill the gap in the middle.

"That was when I thought of Bella so I drew her in the advert.

"As soon as I realised I was the last name to be read out and that I had won, I just started smiling."

Leah was presented with her prizes on the Grand Theatre stage by the editor of the Express & Star, Keith Harrison.

And with her advert voted the best of the best, her school also received a cheque for a total of £500.

Tracey Morley Jewkes, managing director of Blacks Vets, said the firm would be displaying the advert in its surgeries and on its website.

She added: "For us it was really hard to choose the best advert from those sent to us because there were some really good ideas. We are delighted whenever younger people identify with pets and it is something which is really important to us.

"At the end of the day these are the pet owners of the future and we want to get them engaged."

Bhylls Acre Primary School in Castlecroft, Wolverhampton, had been paired with car giants Jaguar Land Rover and bosses were impressed with the imaginative drawings by pupils.

Their favourite was by Charlie Knowles, 11, who sketched a new Land Rover model which could be produced in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

He priced the car at £500,000 – or £650,000 for the top-spec version – and fitted it with a weaponry, pointing out within his design 'permission by the law' would be needed to use it.

He said: "Hopefully there won't be a zombie apocalypse, but it is the kind of car you would want making if there was."

Young Joshan Basi, a pupil at Tettenhall College, Wolverhampton, created the winning design for healthcare provider Nuffield Health.

His advert was based on the three themes of care, comfort and love and featured the Nuffield's logo alongside medical equipment and a patient in a wheelchair.

Joshan, nine, said: "Our teacher put a few ideas on the board and I had a few idea of my own. I used some of both and this is how it turned out.

"It took me about two or three days.

"The hardest part was drawing the wheelchair and the person as I had to make sure it looked right."

Another company taking part was stationers, Helix, and the selected advert was produced by one of the youngest winners, eight-year-old Morgan Guest.

The Blanford Mere Primary School pupil had the ingenious idea of turning everyday stationery items into animals and trees. Explaining her design, she said: "There is a mouse, which is a pair of scissors, a hedgehog, which is a pencil holder, and a butterfly which is also a pencil case."

Morgan's mother, Donna, added: "She is very arty and crafty and is often in her room doing it, so this competition was right up her street."

Hosting the winner's presentation event at the Grand Theatre was the Express & Star's advertisement manager, Kim Hazel.

Speaking to the youngsters and their parents, she said: "Each year the Express & Star publish a huge amount of stories, features and supplements but I have to say that Design an Ad is our favourite.

"It is a brilliant way of bringing together our children, schools, teachers, parents, local businesses and the newspaper.

"The designs we have had this year were fantastic and I can honestly say that there are some really talented children amongst us today.

"We employ professional artists and creative staff at the newspaper to design advertisements for our advertisers and not only are yours good but we have to pay our artists and you did them free of charge.

"Over 1,000 children entered our competition and the 25 children who have joined us today are all winners.

"Your designs were the ones chosen from the 1,000 entries as the very best designs by our sponsors. So really well done to everyone of you."

Editor of the Express & Star, Keith Harrison, said to the youngsters: "We saw 1,000 entries come in and I was very impressed looking through them all.

"Your designs are the top 25 and they are 'fan-dabi-dozi'."

Other winners included Maaria Sharif, 10, from Blowers Green Primary in Dudley; Natalia Agnew, 11, from Abbots Bromley School in Staffordshire; Maddison Lea Rogan, 10, from Rivers Primary Academy in Walsall; Holly Richardson, 11, from Cheslyn Hay Primary; Liliah Evans-Bowen, 10, from Brewood Middle School; Lily Stansfield, 10, from St Anne's Primary in Bewdley; Grace Elizabeth Robinson, 10, from St Mary's Primary in Albrighton; Steve Zheng, 11, from Brierley Hill Primary; Elliana Rhodes, nine, from Castlecroft Primary in Wolverhampton; Kristi Howell, nine, from Bilbrook Middle School; Ellie-May Walton, eight, from Busill Jones Primary in Bloxwich; and Shnai Johnson, 10, from SS Peter and Paul Primary Academy in Wolverhampton.

Also in the limelight were Abidah Begum, 10, from Bluecoat Junior in Walsall; Jodhvir Singh, nine, from Hydesville Tower School in Walsall; Kacper Murach, 10, from Goldsmith Primary Academy in Walsall; Kaysie Chapman, 11, from Redhill Primary in Cannock; Harmanjot Kaur Gill, nine, from Perry Hall Primary in Wednesfield; Amelia Price, 11, from Long Knowle Primary in Wednesfield; Lewis McKinnon, 10, from St Luke's Primary in Cannock; Llana Mutanga, 10, from St Stephens Primary in Wolverhampton; Patricya Jansone, eight, from Wallbrook Primary in Coseley; and Arley Hickman, 10, from Harvills Hawthorn Primary in West Bromwich.

Well done to all the winners.