‘Designed for Integration’: art competition

Entries are open for ‘Designed for Integration’: a card design competition to pupils from any Integrated school. This special competition is being held in memory of Brian Garrett, a Belfast lawyer who played a pivotal role in the development of the Integrated Education movement.  

‘Designed for Integration’ invites children and young people to create a design for the front cover of a greetings card that is inspired by the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means to Me’. Each winning card will feature the first name, class and school of the winning designer.

The competition is open in five categories:  

• Nursery schools and Foundation
• Key Stage 1 
• Key Stage 2
• Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4 & Years 13 and 14 

Winning entries will be printed and used as official IEF greetings cards. Each school with a winning entry will receive a voucher for art supplies. 

The deadline for entries is Thursday 11 June at 5pm (please note the deadline extension).

Schools will be notified of the winning entries before the summer break and winners will be invited to celebrate their success as part of the Carson Awards Showcase in October 2026.  

Guidelines for entry 

• The competition is open to any pupil of an Integrated nursery, primary school or college. Entries should be submitted to the appropriate Key Stage category. 

• Designs should be size A5 (half of an A4 page, so the front of the card will be A5 size). The artwork can be intended for either a vertical or horizontally folded card. 

• Entries should be submitted either in scanned copy and emailed as an attachment to molly@ief.org.uk, or posted in hard copy to: Molly Goyer Gorman, Integrated Education Fund, Forestview, Purdy’s Lane, Belfast BT8 7AR. 

• Artworks should be inspired by the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means to Me’ and should be suitable for featuring on a multi-purpose greetings card.  

• Each entry should be accompanied by a covering form which can be downloaded below.  

• Schools will be notified of the winners before the summer break. 

• The judges’ decision is final.  

For more information, please email molly@ief.org.uk or phone 028 9069 4099.  

To learn more about Brian Garrett and his remarkable contribution to Integrated Education, see this tribute to his life written by Cecil Linehan.