A HASLINGDEN Primary School pupil has been crowned winner of a national competition to find the UK’s most talented young artists.

Sabir Rahman was named the Key Stage 2 winner of the UK-wide Sketching Stars competition, after impressing judges with his artistic flair.

He beat nearly 6,000 other entrants and his prize included an exclusive art workshop for his entire class and £250 worth of stationery.

The contest is hosted annually by Staedtler Teachers’ Club UK who, this year, joined forces with Lloyd Warbey — the face of Disney’s Art Attack — to set pupils the challenge of designing their very own ‘cosmic jetpacks’.

Lloyd said: “I had so much fun working with the pupils at Haslingden Primary School. Sabir is a very talented young artist and deserving winner of the competition, so it was a joy to help him transform his design into a ‘real’ jetpack."

Working with animators, artists, illustrators and even toy designers, Sketching Stars aims to show the successful, rewarding careers that art can lead to, while unearthing the talent of the future.

Lloyd added: “I had the rare privilege of being able to live out my childhood dreams in adult life and I hope I’ve been able to demonstrate to Sabir and his classmates how they can one day do the same, proving that a simple passion for creativity can one day lead to a rewarding career.”

Rachel Owen, marketing manager at Staedtler UK, said: “After the success of our Sketching Stars campaign during the last few years, we are thrilled to be able to run this competition again with the help of Lloyd Warbey.

“The competition aims to celebrate art in the classroom and show primary school children up and down the country that with the right support, you can turn a talent for sketching into a great career.”