A dozen young artists from primary schools across the county have collected accolades for their artwork at the Perfect Packed Lunch Awards.

Four hundred youngsters took up the challenge organised by the KM Charity Team to create the perfect packed lunch for a real or pretend character. Entrants were required to draw their meal and describe why it would be ideal for their chosen category which included pirate captain, princess, and book character.

All 12 finalists were invited to a certificate presentation ceremony at the historic Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Canterbury. They were formally congratulated by Joanna Jones, Director of Canterbury Museums and Galleries, Caroline McBride of Golding Homes, and Elle Weekes of Three R’s Teacher Recruitment.

The winners included Fiona Dusk, 10, from Horizon Primary Academy, Sevenoaks with her magical Disney Princess themed entry and eight year old Vinnie Stevenson from Hernhill CEP School, Faversham who created Wayne Rooney’s perfect lunchbox meal. Naomi Williams, 10, from Ash, Cartwright and Kelsey CEP School based her winning entry on Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series. Her packed lunch included an orange snitch, gingerbread sandwich and embarrassing letter from mum.

Ten year old Remy Atkinson from Hythe Bay Primary School was crowned overall champion for creating a meal fit for the Queen. His tasty ‘ready-made royal garden party treat’ complete with diamond topped cake plate was a hit with the judges.

Simon Dolby, chief executive of the Perfect Packed Lunch awards, said: “The awards are a wonderful way to showcase and celebrate children’s creative writing and artwork. Our finalists are so excited to see their masterpieces on display at the prestigious Beaney House of Art and Knowledge.”

Joanna Jones, Director of Canterbury Museums and Galleries, said: “Enabling learning is a key purpose at the Beaney and children are one of our key audiences. We support the development of children and young people to ensure they have the best start in life. Developing key skills such as creativity, literacy, and communication are vital to a child’s development and the Perfect Packed Lunch project and the Beaney’s educational work support the development of these skills.”

She added: “We are delighted to be showcasing the winning entries at the Beaney throughout the summer months.”

The annual awards are also supported by Kent Libraries and all of this year’s entries can be viewed at www.perfectpackedlunch.org.uk.

Businesses interested in becoming partners for next year’s event should contact Simon Dolby at sdolby@thekmgroup.co.uk or call 07989 164 752.