THE winners of the Young Artist Scholarship and the Art, Design and Technology Medal at the 2023 Urdd Eisteddfod have been announced.

The 2023 Eisteddfod has been held in Llandovery this week.

On Saturday, Llyr Evans was announced as the Young Artist Scholarship and Lara Rees was named the winner of the Art, Design and Technology Medal.

The Young Artist Scholarship, worth £2,000, is presented courtesy of the late Dr Dewi Davies and his family, for the most promising work by an individual between the ages of 10 and under 25.

Llyr Evans, from Anglesey, submitted a collection of portraits that combine elements of the world of fashion and documentation, and incorporated analogue and digital processes to this year's competition.

His interest in photography began at Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones after encouragement from his teacher Mandy Roberts – who Llyr said “is the reason I take pictures today”.

After studying art at Coleg Menai, he went on to London to study Fashion Communication and Promotion at Central Saint Martins.

The judges said: “It was clear from the start that Llyr's work truly focused on people and personalities.

“He mentioned how some of the people in his photos are family members and friends, while others are complete strangers he had met while out and about in London and asked them if he could photograph them.

“We really liked the way Llyr combined Welsh traditions with an element of fantasy/eccentricism.

“This is a person who has completely dedicated himself to developing his skills and experience within the world of photography.

“It was clear how keen he is to take the next steps in his career and his determination to succeed was infectious.

“Hearing him speak, along with the evidence he exhibited through his photographs, really made us judges very excited to see what he could achieve in the future.”

The Art, Design and Technology Medal is presented for the most promising work in the age category of Year 10 and under 19, and is given this year by the Carmarthenshire branch of Merched y Wawr.

Lara Rees, from Swansea, attended Bishopston Comprehensive School and is now studying maths, music technology and fine art at Gower College Swansea.

In September she will be starting her degree in Design for Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she hopes to broaden her artistic skills and experience.

Lara said: “During the Covid-19 lockdowns I really discovered my love of art, especially of painting.

“I like to use my art to express conceptual ideas and emotions, that are often hard to put into words, through visual mediums, with a hope that other people can connect to it in their own way.

“It is an absolute honour to have won the Arts Medal and it's wonderful to be in a place that celebrates the creative arts and the Welsh culture, two things that are very close to my heart.

“This is such a great opportunity to put my art out there and although this artwork is a very personal piece to me, I hope that people can find their own meaning in it.”