Design your own wall-hanging for an Anglo-Saxon king
We have had some fantastic entries for the competition, which were all very creative and imaginative. So well done to everyone who entered.
The design competition ran from 8th May to 5th June 2020.
The amazing prize bundles, included museum passes and goodies kindly provided by West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Museum.
The competition is part of the community archaeology project Rendlesham Revealed, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Winners
Here are the four winning entries. Congratulations!
Competition Gallery
There were so many amazing drawings sent in so here is a selection.
Competition Details
Anglo-Saxons at Rendlesham
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Archaeologists have found an important Anglo-Saxon settlement at Rendlesham in Suffolk. The coins and gold treasures found there tell us this was once a royal residence, probably belonging to the early kings of East Anglia.
We know that there were also people living here who were craftsmen making accessories and tools for the kings and to sell at markets.
There was probably a big building here called a ‘hall’ where the kings would have lived and held feasts.
We know that the inside of the hall would have been decorated. In the tale of Beowulf, the inside of the great hall ‘Heorot’ was fully furnished to be the “best of royal halls”.
Wall hangings were probably used to decorate the halls; they were made from fabric and would have told stories or had symbols.
Image: Example of an Anglo-Saxon Hall
Use the template or create your own using your own paper.
Your drawing should tell a story using an Anglo-Saxon theme. Who are your characters? What are they doing?
Use Anglo-Saxon colours of red, yellow, blue, green, brown, black, gold and purple
Think about including some of these ideas: kings, queens, warriors, ships, horses, swords, helmets, shields, treasure, a hall
Think about using Anglo-Saxon runes to write names or words
Think about including Anglo-Saxon gods: Woden was the king of the gods, Thunor was the god of thunder, Frige was the goddess of love and Tiw was the god of war.
There are loads of ideas, find out more about the Anglo-Saxons:
How was Anglo-Saxon Britain ruled?
What was Anglo-Saxon art and culture like?
Image: Example designs using Anglo-Saxon colours and themes
The competition will be judged according to three age groups:
Group 1: Age 11 to 14 yrs
Group 2: Age 7-10yrs
Group 3: Age 6yrs and under
There will be a winner from each age group, as well as an overall 1st Prize for the most creative wall-hanging.
Top Prize: One 1-year family pass to ‘West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Museum’ plus a goodies bundle, including a replica Anglo-Saxon helmet and sword
Prizes for the winner of each age group: One 1-day family ticket to ‘West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Museum’ plus a goodies bundle of books and accessories.
Image: Prize goodies bundles per age group and Top Prize
How will the winners be decided?
Entrants will be judged by a panel of representatives from ‘Suffolk County Council’ and ‘West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Museum’. The panel will select one winner for each age group plus one overall winner for the most creative design.
Winners will be announced on 18th June 2020.
It is easy to enter! You can submit a photo or scanned image of your wall-hanging design via email to archaeology@suffolk.gov.uk
Important! The closing date is 5th June 2020.
All entrants must confirm their full name, age and location. All children need parental permission to enter. Please provide the contact name, number and email address of the parent/guardian who has given parental permission to enter.
You may enter as many times as you like, but you can only win once.
Some entries may be displayed in a public exhibition so please hang on to the artwork until 30th June 2020 when you will be notified.
By submitting your entry, you are giving us permission to share and display your artwork via the internet, in print, and in an exhibition.
We will only use the information provided for the purpose of the competition. You can view the Suffolk County Council Privacy notice on their website: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/about/privacy-notice/