Summer art competition
This summer we asked people to create a piece of artwork around the themes of ‘Me and my eczema’ or ‘My relationship with eczema’.
We received a fabulous selection of entries, 38 in total, and we were absolutely blown away with the thought that had gone in to them and how honest you were about how eczema makes you feel. They definitely hit an emotional nerve with our judges, even causing them to shed a few tears!
Thank you to everyone who got involved with our summer art competition, whether through submitting an entry yourself or through helping spread the word. You can see all the entries for each age category here:
We can now reveal the winners, chosen by our 3 independent judges, and our People’s Choice award, chosen by our fabulous Rapid Eczema Trials Community….
People’s Choice Winner….
Josh from Ilford
“My artwork depicts the overwhelming sensation of drowning in layers of steroid and emollient creams. The image captures the emotional weight and stress tied to eczema, highlighting the long-term, all-consuming pain and relentless itch.”
This image, while not winning first place in its category, was the overwhelming winner of the community vote!
12 and Under….
1st Place – Amelia from Swindon
I spend hours everyday applying lotions, creams, ointments, emollients on my skin but my skin still feels itchy. Some days my skin feels like it is on fire. I wish for days when my skin is normal, so I can live like everybody around me.
2nd Place – Nylah from Rochdale
Eczema
Eczema is like a rain cloud
Though if you try hard you can stand proud
People will tease, people will laugh,
But all you need to do is stay on the right path.
It keeps you up, it gives you pain,
But of all the things you need to stay brave
Happiness is a hard thing to find in this time
But a good place to start is within your own mind.
My daughter wrote a poem about her awful experience of eczema. What I loved, was how after every negative she balanced it with a positive. I am so proud of the bravery that Nylah has shown through such a difficult and ongoing experience. She has had to have late starts on school when she only gets a few hours sleep and put up with classmates asking endless questions and pointing at all of her cuts. I think she really enjoyed putting pen to paper and expressing her feelings. Thank you for giving her this opportunity.
3rd Place – Chidera from Romford
Me and my Eczema…. Submission describes relationship with eczema and what it’s like living with it.
In our blog about the experience of judging the Summer Art Competition, one of our judges had this to say of the youngest age category:
“What struck me most was their bravery in sharing something so personal at such a young age. Their work reminded me that eczema is more than physical, it touches emotions, confidence, and every part of daily life.”
13 – 17….
1st Place – Lochlan from Derby
My artwork fits in with the theme of ‘Me and my eczema’ it depicts how I feel about my eczema which is displayed as fire to show the burning sensation that is temporarily stopped by itching the skin. The fingers are grey to show bits of skin that damaged by scratching.
2nd Place – Hailey from Bingham
This piece of artwork illustrates a tiger, a persona, a representation of myself and my life with eczema. with the traditional Chinese style reflecting my culture, the tiger’s defensive stance and its stripes are placed where I have suffered with eczema. The eyes around the tiger symbolise the glares of people around me every day due to the condition.
Our judges had this to say about the entries for the 13-17 age category:
“The submissions in this group reflected that mixture of vulnerability and resilience. These works spoke loudly about identity, perception, and the struggle to feel at home in one’s skin.”
3rd Place – Yahya from Keighley
Beneath my skin
It starts with a tickle, then turns to a flame,
A silent battle I never name.
Dry and cracked, red and sore,
Each patch I hide, each mark I ignore.
People think it’s just a rash,
A bit of cream, it’s gone in a flash.
But they don’t feel it late at night,
When I’m still awake, trying not to fight.
I try to focus, I try to play,
But the itch won’t ever go away.
And sometimes stares hurt more than skin,
Like I’m something strange, or worn too thin.
But still I show up, sleeves rolled high,
Because I’m more than what you see with your eye.
Eczema’s tough — yeah, I won’t lie,
But I’m tougher still, and I’ll get by.
It’s part of me, but not my name.
I’ve learned to live with it, not feel shame.
So don’t just look — try to understand:
It’s not just skin.
Itches and scratches, night and day,
Can’t stop, won’t stop, in every way,
Red and raw, it just won’t cease,
Why won’t it just leave me in peace?
I have written a poem to express my frustration and irritation about my eczema.
18 and Over….
1st Place – Frankie from Plymouth
Uni Packing List
bedsheets.
dark bedsheets that won’t show the blood, the ooze, the crust, the mess that you are but not too dark. you still feel sick when you see skin flakes and chunks on dark bedding, from that time when you were twelve and you were screaming and bleeding and it just kept coming and coming and the feeling of ointment sticking to skin flakes, like the world’s most hellish chicken goujon. which is almost funny until you think
how the hell are you ever meant to share a bed with someone one day
how could they love this
when they couldn’t even touch your hands…
hands which scrape themselves raw with no reprieve for gentle touch
you were eleven when that girl gagged at the touch of your hand, putting the same chair back on the rack in assembly
she gagged, you cried
wiping your tears on a cuffed blazer sleeve, eyelids flaking onto navy blazer
later when the DT teacher told you to go wash the dust off, to take pride in your new uniform
how could you possibly explain
that the dust was from you and of you and some parasitic other
and that you wished
the ground could swallow you
dust to dust
instead you just stood there in the toilets, shivering, scratching, scrubbing
it was December, and you couldn’t wear tights
or else you would have to rip nylon from fusing to oozing sores
so instead you ran cold water over hands wringing and writhing
pain is like cold water, your brain just gets used to it
And you are still here, years later, tap running, hands bleeding.
But we will get there, to make this broken body home your own
and find you some new bedding.
My poem is about how my eczema impacts every part of my life, and something as simple, and seemingly exciting, as buying new things for university can be a mammoth task- dredging up all sorts of memories from the past, and fears for the future.
2nd Place – Josh from Ilford
My artwork depicts the overwhelming sensation of drowning in layers of steroid and emollient creams. The image captures the emotional weight and stress tied to eczema, highlighting the long-term, all-consuming pain and relentless itch.
Josh’s entry was chosen by the Rapid Eczema Trials community as their People’s Choice winner!
Our judges had this to say about the entries for the ‘18 and over’ age category:
“The adult entries carried a different weight – sometimes reflective, sometimes humorous, and often deeply moving.”
3rd Place – Agata from Durham
The artwork is a page from my eczema-themed zine. The poetry included alongside the hand drawn illustration has been taken from my private archives, and is a testament to my experience of flare-ups, much like the drawing.
Thanks again to everyone who entered the competition!
If you would like to see all the artwork we received, please clink on the links below to access all the entries across each age category:
