Winners of the 2016 Christmas Drawing Contest

One of the joys of Christmas at The Catholic Register is judging what has become perhaps our most popular annual feature — the children’s Christmas drawing contest.

The task, however, seems to become more difficult each year due to not only the quantity of entries, but the quality of colour drawings submitted by schoolchildren aged from 6 to 14. This year was no different as the entries poured in during the days, and hours, before the deadline.

The winner in our Grade 1-3 category is Maria Victoria Simoes, an eight-year-old Grade 3 student from Toronto. The judges were impressed by her colourful rendition of the nativity comprising a beaming Mary and Joseph, joined by the magi, around the crib of the Baby Jesus.

In the Grade 4 to 6 category, Jasmeen Arcentales is the winner for an exquisite portrait of the Holy Family and the three wise men in the manger, backed by a brilliant night sky over Bethlehem. The 11-year-old, Grade 6 student from Toronto, impressed the judges with her detailed lines and bold use of colour in capturing the wonder of the first Christmas morning.

In the Grade 7 to 8 category, Mariana Gillies, 13, is the winner for an elegant drawing of the manger scene, with Mary and Joseph next to their radiant child. The Grade 8 Toronto student impressed the judges with her use of pastels to capture the serenity and peace of the first Christmas morning.

Each of the winners will receive a prize of a $50 day at the movies.

See below for galleries of this year's winners and runner-ups:

Grades 1-3

Grades 4-6

Grades 7-8