Richard Flint Awards
Richard Flint Awards
Celebrating creativity, talent and self-expression within the polio community.
The Richard Flint Awards celebrate the creativity and artistic expression of polio survivors across the UK. Established through a generous legacy left to The British Polio Fellowship by Richard Flint, the awards encourage polio survivors to embrace their artistic talents and share their creativity with others through art, photography and poetry.
The awards are open to polio survivors and recognise entries in three categories:
Art, Photography and Poetry
With prizes of £250 for 1st place, £150 for 2nd place and £75 for 3rd place in each category.
Richard Flint Winners 2026
We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2026 Richard Flint Awards.
This year’s entries showcased a wonderful range of creativity across art, photography and poetry. Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to everyone who took the time to enter and share their work with us.
Art
1st Place – Wildflower Landscape by Diane Hayes
2nd Place – Pencil Portrait of my Father by Franco Marinelli
3rd Place – Lady of Elipses by Moz Copestake
Photography
1st Place – Almost Missed Dinner by Violet Roe
2nd Place – Red Beetle with Flowers by Louis Ricafort
3rd Place – Hitchin Lavender by Hansa Varsani
Poetry
1st Place – The Will and the Way by Fiona Clark
Scraped knees
Climbing trees
Getting stuck
Covered in muck.
Legs in braces
Boots with laces
Running wild?
Not this child.
Stubborn and persistent
Danger resistant
Determined and bold
Couldn’t be told.
Falls and bruises
Warning refuses
Two wheeled bike
Not a trike.
Weeks of colliding
Bike a-riding
Balance just right
Momentum tight.
Wind in her hair
With not a care
She did it! Yes!
Nothing less…
For the polio child
Not meek and mild,
Today’s battle won
The challenge done.
Rides home for tea
For all to see
At her own pace
Smile on her face.
This true story I tell
As a warning bell
To never dare chant
That the polio child can’t.
They will find a way,
That is to say,
To be daring and strong
And prove you wrong.
2nd Place – Cats Can by George Allan
Cats can climb up curtains.
Cats can scratch a chair to shreds.
Cats can pee in a litter box.
Cats can chase mice, birds and jumping toys.
Cats can be loving and enjoy strokes.
Cats can shed enough hair to make a rug.
Cats can lift you up.
Cats can make you happy.
Cats will sometimes make you frown.
Cats can be wonderful pets.
But all pets can bring joy.
All pets can bring out a range of feelings, showing us our inner emotional self.
But a PET SCAN shows up our inner, physical self and all the nastiness that will end our whole self.
“The rest is silence.”
3rd Place – The Beautiful and the Broken by Lottie Brookforth
Our feelings remain the same
Towards the weathered or the insane,
Always gravitating to the beautiful,
Reaching to feed the soul.
A perfect life in a perfect world,
Must it be a dance of menace?
Ego tripping all over the place…
Must it be a glance of suspicion?
No truth or admission.
How to Enter
Entries for the 2026 Richard Flint Awards are now closed.
Thank you to everyone who entered this year. Details of the next Richard Flint Awards will be published here when entries reopen.
Who can Enter
The Richard Flint Awards are open to all polio survivors living in the UK.
Catagories
Entries can be submitted in three categories:
- Art — original paintings, drawings and other visual artwork
- Photography — original photographs taken by the entrant
- Poetry — original poems written by the entrant
How to Submit
When the awards are open, entries can be submitted either:
- by email to info@britishpolio.org.uk
- or by post to:
The British Polio Fellowship
CP House
Otterspool Way
Watford
WD25 8HR
Full opening dates, closing dates and any submission requirements for the next Richard Flint Awards will be published on this page when entries reopen.
If you have any questions about the competition, please contact info@britishpolio.org.uk.