Edinburgh kids called on to get creative and Colour the Coach

National Express is calling on kids in Edinburgh to get creative and design a summer advert for their home town – to take pride of place on the side of a coach.

The UK’s largest coach operator’s national Colour the Coach competition challenges youngsters in Edinburgh aged 5-15 to enter by designing a summer-themed poster promoting their home town to encourage people to visit some of the amazing locations on National Express’s unrivalled coach network.

The six regional winners whose designs will be whittled down to a shortlist by a panel of judges before being put to an online vote. The winning designs will be splashed across the side of a National Express coach this summer for thousands to see.

And to encourage the development of their creative talent, each winner will also receive an art set with a range of brushes and paints.

National Express Coach Managing Director Chris Hardy, who is on the judging panel said: “Colour the Coach is a fantastic competition which each year, leaves us stunned by the creative talent that we see on display. Our coach services travel to hundreds of destinations so the winning designs will be on display all over the country. I’m calling on kids in Edinburgh to prepare their palettes this summer and produce a poster that really blows us away.”

Now in its fourth year, the competition has seen 15 winners from all over the country with their designs touring Britain’s motorways on National Express’s coaches.

In past years children have been asked to design their ideal holidays or favourite landmark. Now National Express is bringing summer back home by asking youngsters to promote the place where they live in a bid to encourage people to visit it this summer.

The winner will see their picture boldly displayed on one of the many daily coach services that drive on local roads everyday.

‘Colour the Coach’ is open to children aged 5-15 and entrants should simply draw a poster promoting their home town, incorporating a summer theme, on an A4 sheet of paper using whatever drawing materials they want.

For more information, to see the previous winners’ art work, or for full terms and conditions visit www.nationalexpress.com/colourthecoach

Entries should be sent by post to National Express Coach Art Competition, National Express House, Mill Lane, Birmingham, B5 6DD, email competitions@nationalexpress.com

Entries must be landscape designs and fit on A4 size paper or document and include the entrant’s full name, age, address and include an email or mobile phone number, must arrive before the deadline of midnight on Monday 25^thJune.

You may post your entry on social media using the hashtag #colourthecoach or tagging @nationalexpress however this will not be counted as a valid entry unless you send in a postal entry too. Please do not post any personal information with your entry on social media.