Loyola International School holds annual interschool art contest

Doha, Qatar: On a quiet Saturday morning, classrooms at Loyola International School s Oasis Campus filled not with textbooks, but with sketchpads, col...

Doha, Qatar: On a quiet Saturday morning, classrooms at Loyola International School’s Oasis Campus filled not with textbooks, but with sketchpads, colours, and concentrated silence. By mid-morning, that silence had turned into conversations about ideas, strokes, and stories, as young artists from across the region came together for VARNA 3.0, Loyola’s Annual Interschool Art Competition. 

This year’s edition saw 80 students from 19 schools participate, each bringing a distinct perspective to the canvas. The response, organizers noted, was one of the strongest yet - both in numbers and in the quality of work on display. 

VARNA 3.0 reflected a growing shift in how schools view learning. At Loyola, the focus has steadily moved from STEM to STEAM, recognising the role of art in sharpening imagination, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving skills. The competition offered a clear glimpse of that philosophy in action. 

Participants competed across three thoughtfully structured categories. Younger students explored pattern and nature through ‘My Dream Garden,’ while Juniors expressed ideas through imaginative poster-making under the theme ‘Wings of Imagination.’  

Senior participants were challenged to think deeper in ‘Complete the Canvas,’ where they extended a given artwork, balancing technique with originality.