We are delighted to announce the winners of the Karneval Mask Competition, which took place between January and March as part of this year’s Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages, coordinated by International Newcastle. The first ever German competition was run by new partners British German Association (BGA) and 3,476 children and young people from 44 schools across the North East and UK took part.
The competition blended art, language and culture into one engaging experience, with pupils at KS2, 3 and 4 discovering one of Germany’s most colourful and joyful traditions Karneval! Using a teaching resource pack with materials aimed at different age ranges, pupils learned key German vocabulary linked to costumes, masks, music, and celebrations. They designed and decorated their own vibrant carnival masks, labelling parts in German and writing short descriptive sentences. The activity encouraged creativity, cultural curiosity, and confidence in using language in a fun, hands-on way. Prizes awarded for the most imaginative and well-presented mask designs.
We are pleased to see that Newcastle schools did very well in the competition. The following article is provided by BGA giving details of the winners.
“Thank you to all of the students and schools who took part in our Karneval Mask Competition, organised in conjunction with the Express Yourself: Festival of Languages North East. We were delighted that so many schools from across the country participated and showed their enthusiasm for German culture.
Choosing the winners for both competition entries – UK-wide and NE-specific – was no easy task, as we received so many fantastic entries. We were blown away by the imaginative interpretations of a Karneval mask, from the colour choices to the use of different materials and motifs. We were especially impressed by their confident use of the German language, which was nicely tied to the Karneval culture.”
Annika Falconer – BGA Schools Trustee: The British-German Association
Key Stage 2 UK-wide winners
- 1st Prize: Aavya (The Abbey)
- 2nd Prize: Maisie (Holywell School)
- 3rd Prize: Student (Lichfield Cathedral School)
We especially loved the German flag theme by our KS2 1st prize winner, Aavya from The Abbey. The intricate design with beautiful materials by Maisie from Holywell School led to her winning 2nd prize. Our 3rd prize winner from Lichfield Cathedral School was a mask with lovely drawings and German writing incorporated into their mask, something we particularly enjoyed.
“All of the girls were really pleased to have received certificates and Aavya was over the moon about her first prize!” Ulrike Byrne, German teacher at The Abbey
Key Stage 2 North East winners
- 1st Prize: Max (St Teresa’s)
- 2nd Prize: Maya (St Teresa’s)
- 3rd Prize: Paul (St Teresa’s)
We were very impressed with St Teresa’s entries for KS2. Max’s mask was lovely and colourful with mountains and stars, and we enjoyed the vocabulary he chose.
2nd prize winner, Maya, designed a mask that really represented Karneval with its colourful feathers, and we liked the way she described the mask so well. We really liked Paul’s design – very original and as he described it: ‘fantastisch!’
Key Stage 3 UK-wide winners
- 1st Prize: Julia (Royal Grammar School, Newcastle)
- 2nd Prize: Annabel (Egglescliffe School & Sixth Form College)
- 3rd Prize: Thamer (Holywell School)
Our KS3 entries were fantastic – we loved Julia’s colourful and modern take on the mask, particularly with the digital feathers. We enjoyed reading her summary, and how well she described the features of her mask. Annabel’s mask was a marvellous mix of unique creativity and fun design, and Thamer’s design and theme was very refreshing with its two-sided feature.
Key Stage 3 North East winners
- 1st Prize: Alex (Southmoor Academy)
- 2nd Prize: Heidi (Gordonstoun School)
- 3rd Prize: Martha (Teesside High School)
Alex won 1st prize with a beautiful homemade mask with bright colours and sparkles. What really stole the show was her great use of German! We were delighted to hear that Alex was over the moon with winning 1st prize from her teacher, Miss Moran. Heidi’s mask entry was packed full of great German, with lovely materials and colours. We loved the German flag theme from Martha, with matching feathers.
Join the BGA Network (Free Associate Membership)
We hope your students had a fantastic time taking part in the Karneval Mask competition. We were truly impressed by their enthusiasm and creativity. If your school is not yet part of the BGA Schools network, we would be delighted to welcome you. Nationally, BGA Schools promotes the value and importance of teaching German in UK schools, while locally it supports and encourages German-language teaching in British secondary schools. You can discover more about the benefits of joining and how to become part of our growing community here.
We are also excited to share that since April, we have been offering free Associate Membership to all students and teachers of German. It would be wonderful to have you and your students in our network. You can join us here.
Further information and links
BGA Schools is our schools’ network. At a national level, BGA Schools works to raise awareness of the value and importance of teaching German in UK schools. At a local level, BGA Schools encourages and supports German-language teaching in British secondary schools.
The help we offer schools includes:
- Advising and supporting schools to make the case for the teaching of German. Click here for “Why German?”
- Advising schools on setting up exchanges and virtual exchanges. Click here.
- Helping to locate local contacts in business, industry and the media who can bring home to pupils the importance of a knowledge of German. Click here for information on contacting local businesses with links to Germany.
- Linking German departments with other schools in the same area.
BGA also provides direct and indirect financial support to schools through A level Dresden Trust scholarships and support for visits to Germany, as well as cash prizes in the BGA Schools Awards and subsidising German days or masterclasses and support to contact local companies with links to Germany. BGA also provides a range of teacher resources to promote the learning of languages and German.
- Visit the Schools section of the British German Association website here
- Follow the British German Association on social media: facebook | X | Linkedin
Click here to find out about Festival events and activities featuring German, plus teaching resources and school support available from Goethe-Institut UK.