In a significant new development, we are delighted to be working with Arts Council England's 10 regional Bridge organisations to pilot Arts Award Discover alongside the Summer Reading Challenge in a library setting.

Arts Award

Arts Award offers unique nationally recognised qualifications that support children and young people aged up to 25 to grow as artists and arts leaders, inspiring them to connect to and take part in the arts and cultural world. Arts Award is available at five levels, four of which (Explore, Bronze, Silver and Gold) are accredited.

Arts Award Discover is the introductory level, designed for children aged 5 and upwards. Through Arts Award Discover, children discover the arts all around them, and find out how art in its many forms is part of their everyday world.

Arts Award and the Summer Reading Challenge

Literature is an art form that is part of our daily lives. Words are around us all the time: in novels, picture books, newspapers, TV series and advertising.

Arts Award Discover is a perfect fit with the Summer Reading Challenge, as it encourages children and young people to try out creative activities, find out about artists and writers behind books, stories and art works, record their discoveries in an arts log and share what they've done with family and friends. Through Arts Award, children can start on an exciting arts journey, using the activities that are part of Summer Reading Challenge as a stepping stone to discovering other art forms.

Macmillan Children's Books have also helped make this affordable for libraries with their support for a special activity booklet called The House and the Mouse, which includes suggestions and ideas for all sorts of creative activities, presented through Chris Riddell's curious and imaginative illustrations. By completing these alongside the Summer Reading Challenge, children will have completed the Arts Award Discover requirements.

Get involved

We have the following resources available for libraries that are running Arts Award:

Summer Reading Challenge and Arts Award report 2013
Arts Award libraries briefing
Creepy House and Arts Award Map
Creepy House Arts Award Briefing
Arts Award Carers Information Leaflet

Children can sign up to the Summer Reading Challenge at their local library. They can log on to the Summer Reading Challenge website to chat, take part in competitions and find new books using the book sorter.

Parents, carers and grandparents can keep up to date with news from the Summer Reading Challenge on our facebook page.

This year we're running a donations campaign to help bring the Summer Reading Challenge to more disadvantaged children. It only costs £3 for three children to take part in the Challenge for free. Please donate £3 to our campaign by texting READ06 £3 to 70070 or by visiting justgiving.com/SummerReadingChallenge.