Durham schoolboy wins national art prize (From Durham Times)

Durham schoolboy wins national art prize

1:16pm Tuesday 10th July 2012 in News By Mark Tallentire, Reporter (Durham)

AN AUTISTIC child who was never expected to talk has won a national art competition with a self-narrated video.

Oliver Coatsworth, 11, won The People’s Choice Award in the Create Art for Autism 2012 contest with his video The Owl Babies.

Oliver was named the award winner during a ceremony held in Cardiff on Friday.

Oliver’s mother, Philippa Coatsworth, from Neville’s Cross, Durham City, said: "He’s very proud. He heard his name and he was up there on stage. He was saying: ‘I’m a winner’.

"We’re absolutely elated. It’s a mixed emotion of crying through absolute delight. I can’t stop smiling."

Oliver’s entry won 505 of the 1,040 votes cast in The People’s Choice category.

The video can be viewed on the website of his school, Evergreen Primary, in Bishop Auckland, at: evergreen.durham.sch.uk