ART students and would-be artists in Crewe are being given the chance to win a £500 art hamper to help kick-start their career.

Hobbycraft in Crewe is launching its ‘KickstART Art’ competition to help support local creative talents aged 16 and over, and give customers the chance to vote for their favourites. As well as having their entry displayed in the store, the winner will receive a £60 art hamper. Winning artists will then be entered into the national competition, with the winner receiving a £500 art hamper from Hobbycraft.

To enter, budding artists must submit their own masterpiece using a creative medium of their choice, whether that is drawing, painting, sketching or sculpting. All entries must be no bigger than 50cm high x 30cm wide.

The design must be submitted in store no later than Friday, October 24 and then members of the public will choose their favourite work until Sunday, November 2.

Store manager, Graham Milford, said: “We understand how difficult it can be for young people to showcase their talents. Our KickstART Art competition is designed to support budding local artists in a way which will also get our customers involved, as they’ll have the final say on our winner. We hope it will also inspire more people to take up art.”