Sixteen-year-old Josie Oliver announced as winner

Kirkcudbright pupil Josie Oliver, was today presented with an early Christmas present by ScottishPower’s Group Sponsorship Manager, Heather McDonald thanks to her creation of superhero Vanquish.

ScottishPower Foundation, sponsor of the Wigtown Book Festival, announced that Josie won its inaugural illustration competition, Comic Generation, beating off entries from across Dumfries and Galloway.

Josie’s creation, Vanquish – a superhero who harnesses energy to defeat evil in a magic belt buckle – was picked as the unanimous winner by a panel of expert judges.

Comic Generation was created to energise talented 11- to 25-years olds in Dumfries and Galloway, in a challenge to develop a new comic book character. Budding illustrators were asked to channel their inner superhero and get creative by creating a superhero with energy-related powers.

Josie was chosen as winner by the ScottishPower Foundation Comic Generation panel which was made up of artist Adam Murphy; editor of the Stranraer and Wigtownshire Free Press, Alan Hall; Wigtown Book Festival Manager, Anne Barclay; and ScottishPower Group Sponsorships Manager, Heather McDonald.

Josie was awarded with an Apple iPad mini as her prize which the ScottishPower Foundation hopes Josie will use to nurture her creativity.

Josie Oliver said: “I was really excited to be chosen as the winner of the Comic Generation competition. I love Art, and in particular comics and the work of artists like Roy Lichtenstein. This competition and the superhero idea really appealed to me and I spent a lot of time thinking about my character and how it could tie in with the energy theme that ScottishPower Foundation was looking for."

"I was really surprised to win as I knew a few of my school friends had also entered, but I am delighted and really look forward to using my iPad mini for art and photography projects."

Ann Loughrey, Trustee and Executive Officer of the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “We received significant interest in Comic Generation from young people throughout Dumfries and Galloway - it’s great to see so many young creative minds in one place!  We were impressed by the high quality of the entries, but Josie’s creation really stood out to the judging panel thanks to her artistic talent and originality.

“The ScottishPower Foundation is committed to supporting community programmes that inspire young people to get more out of education, arts, culture and science. We’re proud to continue to support the Wigtown Book Festival, one of the UK’s best-loved literary events and in particular its programme for young people in Dumfries and Galloway.”

Anne Barclay, Wigtown Book Festival organiser said: "The ScottishPower Foundation Comic Generation is just one of events we run for young people, aimed at encouraging greater participation in literature and the arts.

“We were really encouraged by the standard of entries – there are a lot of young people in the region with a real skill for developing a superhero with energy-related powers and I’d like to congratulate Josie on her creation. We are grateful to ScottishPower Foundation for its continued support. The quality and diverse range of activities continues to grow year-on-year and this is only achievable with the support of our valued sponsors and partners.”

The ScottishPower Foundation is working with the Festival to enhance its youth programme Wigtown: The Festival (WTF), which was created by young people, for young people.

The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013 to support charitable projects and reinforce the energy company’s commitment to charitable work throughout Britain.

ENDS

For further information, media interviews or images please contact Kirsty Macleod or Emma Paul at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628 or email spfoundation@stripecommunications.com

Notes to editors:

About the ScottishPower Foundation

The ScottishPower Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC043862) and a company limited by guarantee (SC445116). The Foundation’s aim is to make a significant and lasting contribution to society and enhance the quality of life in local communities. It provides funding to registered charities and non-profit organisations for the following purposes: the advancement of education; the advancement of environmental protection; the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science; the prevention or relief of poverty and the relief of those in need by reason of disability or other disadvantage; the advancement of citizenship and community development.