Collage of colorful artworks featuring environmental themes, polar bears, whales, and the phrase "Re-Invention" with MIMA and Teesside University logos.

Reinvention art competition gallery

We're celebrating this year's Turner Prize, hosted by the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), by running a UK-wide art competition for young people aged 5 - 25 on the theme of 'Reinvention'.

Explore the gallery to see how our entrants are reinventing the world.

Silhouettes of manta rays swimming underwater with light beams filtering through the ocean.

Artists of the Oceans

Idha - 12

Stingrays are very beautiful creatures and they deserve to be seen as living creatures and not something to be scared of. I really hope they are still around for my children and grandchildren to see. I have drawn a group of stingrays swiming up to the light and when they swim and jump its like they are creating art of a dance!

A woman standing in front of a mirror holds an apple. Her reflection shows a young girl holding a chocolate bar. Text reads, "School Reinvents You."

Infinitely Renewable

Sophia - 15

Remembering where you started and holding onto old habits doesn’t mean change can’t happen - people reinvent themselves every single day. Looking into the mirror is a reminder that it’s completely fine to glance back at who you used to be, as long as you're using that view to focus on the choices you make right now. The decisions you make today are what power your future. When you look in the at yourself you can be where you were, where you are now, and plan for where you are going.

The Voices that Change the Universe

Emily - 15

I chose to make my piece of artwork because it shows the people who speak out can change how our whole world looks. The cracked background is a representation of our current world before anyone speaks out and has a voice in changing the world.

A sad-looking cartoon polar bear sits on ice above an ocean polluted with various trash, including bottles, bags, and cans, alongside sea life.

All at Sea

Evelyn - 11

Concern for the world's oceans and their inhabitants.

(or open it on YouTube)

Lego Passer Powered by Solar

Avish - 6

It a robot that turns circular and powered by Solar. I built it to help my friends to get lego pieces to build their lego if they are bit further away from me and need lego pieces from me.

A painting of a barn owl with white and brown feathers against a dark background, showcasing textured brushstrokes and detailed features.

Owl

Luna - 12

It’s part of my home education art class and I wanted to experiment with different textures.

Green

Alice - 8

Save our earth.

Painting of a manta ray with intricate patterns swimming against a blue background, bordered by seashells and tiny sculpted marine creatures.

The Ocean Keeps No Secrets

Callum - 20

My work is based on my favourite creature, a whale shark. It was also based on the shark that passed away in captivity called Taroko. I disagree with such large animals being kept in such small tanks. The secret of my piece is that in glows in UV light and shows the freedom a shark should have.

Child's drawing of a heart-shaped landscape with trees, a sun, hills, and swirling clouds against a blue sky.

Green

Henri-Jo - 8

I love our earth.

Colorful childlike drawing of a vibrant landscape with a bright sun, wind turbines, buildings, and a flowing waterfall under a blue sky.

Green Dreams

Lenin - 7

I love our world.

A child and adult in a futuristic museum observe exhibits on sustainable energy, including a plant-like sculpture and a fuel pump.

The Things We’re Leaving Behind

Jack - 21

In my opinion, the reinvention of energy starts with education. This piece is about the difference between then and now. At one end of the gallery, there is coal and oil leading into a fuel pump, representing our reliance on extracting finite materials from the earth. In the centre, a boy and his mum look towards a trophy-like statue. This is meant to feel like a statement about the future of energy.

The clean energy flower grows out from the coal and oil pipes, showing how something positive can come from what has caused so much damage. A lot of harm has already been done to the planet but I wanted to create this piece to show that it is not too late to change.

Colorful painting of Earth in space, surrounded by illustrations of a city, a child, an astronaut, a polar bear, a ship, and a turtle.

The World We Create

Eriifeoluwa - 12

This artwork explores different possible futures of our world, shaped by the choices we make today. This drawing represents the delicate connection between humanity and nature. Some angles reflect a clean, thriving world where people and nature coexist. The centre reveals a polluted and technology-driven future, where convenience, excessive screen use and constant exposure to information begin to affect how we live, think and connect.

The artwork also questions our growing dependence on technology and AI. As machines make life easier, are we becoming less willing to think, create and solve problems for ourselves? The piece allows us to consider an important question: Are we creating technology to serve humanity, or are we slowly allowing technology to shape humanity?

Most importantly, this artwork is a prompt that the future is not simply something that happens to us, it is something we are creating through our choices today.

Natural Forms

Tawia-Jane - 14

My artwork explores the connection between humans and the natural world. I combined a human skeleton with an octopus to show how different forms of life can exist together and transform. I chose an octopus because I find them fascinating and wanted to contrast its bright colours and flowing shape with the delicate structure of the skeleton. I wanted the artwork to make people think about nature, life and how everything is connected.

A painting of an eye with Earth as the iris, featuring long eyelashes and a large teardrop against a black background.

Can you see them?

Yasmin - 13

I’ve decided to draw an eye with the iris being the world. The water part of the world I put lots of dots there to represent nurdles. Then there is a tear also with lots of dots representing the sadness and nurdles. The background is black to represent sadness also because nurdles are harmful to wildlife and us. If we use less plastic, less plastic products will be produced then there will be less nurdles. Also when nurdles are in the sea due to spillage during transport for example, these then can harm wild life. When fishes for example eat the nurdles they then contain micro plastics and if we then eat the fish that then means we eat the microplastics and these can then harm us humans too.

Futuristic cityscape with an octopus-shaped energy hub, solar panels, greenery on buildings, wind turbines, and elevated transit systems.

The Living City

Arna - 16

My artwork shows a futuristic city inspired by an octopus, with organic and modern forms blending into and with architecture. I wanted to explore how cities could be reinvented ahead of time by combining renewable energy and architecture, creating a vibrant and positive vision of the possibilities of the future.

A detailed pencil drawing of a ship's mast and crow's nest against a blank background.

Wind Turbine

Colby - 12

It’s a nordex n26 wind turbine and I made it because I like drawing them.

A painting of a rose with colorful petals morphing into a skull, with a pink and yellow butterfly near it on a dark background.

Bloom Through Darkness

Khloe - 16

Encompasses the idea of finding beauty, life and hope even in difficult or dark circumstances. It was my GSCE project.

Abstract painting of an urban street scene with buildings, a double-decker bus, streetlight, and dramatic sky with dark purple clouds.

Metropolis

Ethan - 17

I made this piece to show how energy can bring new life to an everyday city. I used glowing lights, bright colours and energetic marks to suggest renewal, transforming a dark London street into a place full of movement and new energy.

Colorful abstract painting of classic and domed architecture against a vivid yellow background.

A City Re-energised

Chaeyu - 16

My painting depicts a city being renewed through colour and energy. I transformed familiar architecture with bright, unexpected colours to make the buildings feel alive again, imagining a more vibrant and positive future.

Colorful abstract painting of a cathedral with a large blue dome and multicolored architectural details against a purple background.

Reimagining the Familiar

Chaeyu - 16

I made this piece because I wanted to reinvent familiar London architecture and show it in a completely new way. I used intense colour, simplified shapes and bold contrasts to transform recognisable buildings into a vibrant,
imagined cityscape.

A colorful carpet with various rocks, small toys, a sunflower ornament, and scattered items on a blue cloth.

Bloom Through Darkness

Christiana - 9

My art is based on the pollution of the sea by mainly plastic and household waste. I chose to do this because I enjoy doing art but I also love the sea and nature and would like to raise awareness of pollution in the sea. The blue towel represents the sea up against the rocks. The man sitting on the rock and all the pollution in the sea. The clay follower represents hope for a cleaner ocean.

Colorful abstract painting of vibrant fish swimming in a blue sea with a cityscape and mountains in the background under a bright sun.

Reinventing our World

Kevin - 16

For this painting, I combined a colourful city with the sea, mountains, sun and wildlife to show a future where people, nature and urban life can share the same space and thrive.

Two people on a train; one with glasses seated calmly, the other smiling with colorful abstract patterns extending from face.

Energy in Connection

Clara - 17

I made this to show energy as a connection between people, nature and the future. The colourful organic forms grow and flow between the figures, suggesting renewable energy bringing people together and creating new possibilities.

Surreal painting of a face submerged in water, ethereal and dreamlike with flowing hair and abstract blue and white patterns.

Renewable Future

Clara - 17

This artwork explores the connection between humans and nature, imagining a future powered by renewable energy. The organic forms and glowing lines show energy flowing between the human figure and the natural world, suggesting renewal and a cleaner future.

A colorful abstract collage featuring geometric shapes, vibrant patterns, and bold colors on a textured surface, with cut-out portions.

Reinventing Energy

Miles - 17

This 3D mixed-media piece explores energy through reinvention. I like photographing pylons and places that distribute energy, and I used these ideas to transform everyday materials into something new. The layers, bold colours and lines represent the movement and distribution of energy.

Colorful abstract landscape painting with rolling hills in green, purple, and yellow under a bright blue sky.

Powered by Nature

Gerard - 19

This painting shows the connection between nature, renewable energy and our future. The flowing landscape and bold colours represent natural energy moving through the environment, suggesting a cleaner and more sustainable world.

Colorful abstract painting of a vibrant forest with swirling greens, blues, and oranges, highlighting twisting branches enveloping a central figure.

Energy of Another World

Begum - 16

For this painting, I imagined a strange and unique world where nature has been reinvented. The glowing colours and unusual forms suggest a powerful new energy, creating a mysterious world that feels alive, changing and full of possibility.

A large tree with roots spreading across an old street, surrounded by overgrown skyscrapers and wind turbines, symbolizing nature reclaiming urban space.

A City Reborn

Hailey - 19

I created this watercolour painting because I wanted to explore the idea of nature "reclaiming" a city, and nature being able to thrive even after human impact. I want this to show how there is still hope for the future of our planet and that it isn't too late to change, and that fresh, new life can still emerge in places ruined by humans.

A pencil drawing of a church on a hill with trees to the right and birds in flight to the left, with a boat on a lake in the foreground

Cartoon

Denny Charlie - 8

A colorful drawing featuring the word "Reinvention" above a light bulb with nature, cityscapes, wind turbines, and a rocket, symbolizing innovation and sustainability.

New Horizons

Imani - 14

I chose to make this piece because I believe that if everyone helps our world can become bright again and not be swallowed by global warming, litter, and harm done to nature and animals. I portrayed this by having every element connected to the light bulb earth showing it getting brighter with everyone's help.

A colorful crayon drawing with a yellow oval shape in the center, surrounded by blue, gray, and purple horizontal lines.

Electrosphere

Sufyan - 7

Electrosphere eats bad stuff from the environment and turns it into good stuff for the environment.

Stickman City

Harry - 12

Stickman city is my dream city. In stickman city, there is always fun things to do, everyone looks after each other and the city is well looked after. I made this artwork to show how I want my town to be. I made it across 3 canvases so it can be long and you can see the whole city with everyone in it.