TEENAGERS who have had their end-of-year exams cancelled can take part in a new challenge with a cash prize.

The Cotswold Challenge is an opportunity for young people aged 16 to 19 to show off their skills and talents in art and design or creative writing or innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.

Budding artists, sculptors, authors, poets and entrepreneurs can enter one or all three categories as many times as they like.

Some of the illustrious judges, who have achieved success in their own sector or business, include: Lady Bathurst; Rory Bremner’s wife, Tessa Campbell-Fraser (artist and sculptor); Darrell Warner (who has worked on films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Spiderman, The Mummy and Rocketman – to name but a few); Adam Henson (TV presenter and owner of the Cotswold Farm Park); Paul Cornell (a writer with TV credits including Elementary, Doctor Who and Primeval) and Suzannah Harvey CEO of Cotswold Airport.

There are four prizes in each category of £500, £300, £150 and £50, which have been donated in full by sponsors including: Jeevan Thandi of Karhoo; author Kevin Wignall; Fairford & Lechlade Business Club; Business & Innovation Magazine; the Royal Agricultural University; The Paperback Shop, Bulldog Websites and more.

After the competition, winners will be able to pitch for additional funds to take the next step towards showcasing their work, such as publishing their poem or short story, staging their own art exhibition, or taking their innovative idea to an early prototype stage.

The deadline for entries is 9pm on Monday June 1. Entry is free and anyone who enters can get a briefing pack and entry details by visiting the website /www.thecotswoldchallenge.com

The innovative initiative was created by The Cotswold Collective – a team of five self-employed businesspeople who are members of the Fairford & Lechlade Business Club: Nigel Chute of Chute Design; Barry Jackson of Aspire Academy; Allison Murray of Allison Murray Design; Chris Roberts MBE, founder of the Fairford & Lechlade Business Club and freelance journalist; and Fiona Scott of Fiona Scott Media.