A 10-year-old girl has won an award for her painting inspired by the work of artist LS Lowry.
Sophia was selected from hundreds of primary school-aged children as the winner of the 2025 Copley Prize, an annual art competition run by the Salford-based Lowry theatre.
She described her painting, titled Bustling Street, as a “more modern and colourful” version of Lowry’s depictions of working class life around north-west England.
Sophia added: “His art inspires me to see beauty in everyday life.”
Laurence Stephen Lowry was born in Stretford in 1887 and spent more than 40 years illustrating areas of industrial Britain during the mid-20th century.
He become best known for painting urban landscapes filled with human figures, often referred to as matchstick men.
Since his death in 1976, Lowry’s works have been sold for millions and the Lowry theatre was opened in his honour at the turn of the millennium.
“Sophia is a very worthy winner of this year’s Copley Prize,” said Alison Copley, who co-founded the competition in 2012.
Mrs Copley added: “We found her bold colours and intricate detail so engaging and admired her approach of painting life as she saw it around her, just as LS Lowry did.
“We hope she continues to pursue and develop her wonderful artistic talents. We would like to thank and commend all of the entrants of this year’s Copley Prize, and encourage them all to keep producing fantastic artwork.”
Claire Stewart, curator of the LS Lowry collection, said: “LS Lowry spent a lot of time on the streets of Manchester and just painted what he saw.
“What is marvellous about Sophia’s picture is that she has done the same.
“She has painted just what she might see on a walk through town and filled it with colour and vitality. It’s a very worthy winner.”
The painting will be on display at the Lowry theatre for a year with the Woking-born artist’s work expected to be viewed by up to 100,000 visitors.
