Book Reviews, Brushstrokes, and Brilliant Acts—Chennai’s Youth Shine at CTTE
The Department of English, Chevalier T. Thomas Elizabeth College for Women, organised the Inter-School Competition 2026 under the theme “A Creative Journey through Imagination: Weaving Art, Voice, and Vision” in collaboration with India Reads – An ELTAI Venture. The programme served as an academic platform to nurture creativity, critical thinking, literary appreciation, artistic expression, and communication skills among school students.
The competition witnessed the participation of 110 students from Classes VIII to XII representing 10 schools across Chennai. The event provided an enriching environment for young learners to demonstrate their intellectual abilities, artistic talents, and creative potential through a series of interdisciplinary competitions that integrated literature, visual arts, drama, and creative writing.
Five competitions were conducted as part of the programme. The Book Review competition encouraged participants to present critical analyses of selected English literary texts by examining themes, characterisation, literary techniques, and personal interpretations. Paint a Poem challenged students to translate poetic expression into visual art, fostering an appreciation of the relationship between literature and artistic creativity. In Mono-Act: Shakespeare Reimagined, participants presented innovative interpretations of Shakespearean characters through individual dramatic performances, demonstrating confidence, creativity, and expressive skills. Pixel to Prose invited students to develop original narratives inspired by visual prompts, thereby enhancing their imaginative writing and storytelling abilities. The Narrative Jigsaw competition promoted collaborative learning by requiring teams to reconstruct fragmented narratives into coherent stories through collective discussion and presentation.
The competitions were evaluated by a panel of experts based on originality, creativity, language proficiency, presentation skills, interpretation, teamwork where applicable, and adherence to the prescribed guidelines. Participants exhibited exceptional enthusiasm, literary competence, artistic excellence, and confident stage presence throughout the programme.
The programme successfully fostered healthy competition, collaboration, and experiential learning among students from different schools. Certificates and prizes were awarded to the winners of each event, while all participants received certificates of participation in recognition of their efforts and commitment. KRM Public School, Perambur, was adjudged the Overall Champion, securing the Overall Trophy for its outstanding performance across the competitions.
