Schoolchildren invited to design Governor’s official Christmas card

Schoolchildren across Gibraltar are being invited to design the Governor’s official Christmas card for 2026, with the winning entry to be sent to recipients including His Majesty The King.

The Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst, has launched this year’s Christmas card competition in association with the Department of Education.

The competition is open to pupils in Years 3 to 6 at all schools in Gibraltar, with entries to be submitted through their respective schools by 3pm on Friday, November 6.

Children are being encouraged to create designs that capture the spirit and traditions of a Gibraltarian Christmas.

Entries must be drawn by hand rather than produced using a computer programme and can be submitted in either portrait or landscape format.

Designs must not contain any writing or three-dimensional elements to ensure they can be reproduced for printing.

A judging panel, including the Governor and the Minister for Education, will assess the entries based on their representation of the spirit and events of a Gibraltarian Christmas, their visual and emotional impact, and their originality.

The overall winner will receive an 11th-generation iPad A16 with 128GB of storage, while the first runner-up will receive AirPods 4.

The second runner-up will be awarded a £60 voucher for Newton Store, which has donated all three prizes.

The winner and two runners-up will also be invited to lunch at The Convent with the Governor and the Minister for Education, accompanied by a friend and a teacher.

The winning design will be reproduced as the Governor’s official Christmas card and distributed to recipients across Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, including His Majesty The King.

The deadline for entries is Friday, November 6, at 3pm.