Dozens of young artists took up the challenge to produce an unusual self-portrait.
Schoolchildren aged 5-7 were encouraged to make a poster showing what they would look like with flu. Seven-year-old Owen Lock from RAF Benson primary school emerged as the overall winner. Owen was six at the time he submitted his poster, right.
Dr Ranj from the CBeebies show Get Well Soon came along to Owen’s school to give him his prize and take part in a special assembly about flu. He is pictured, left, with Owen.
The flu poster competition was organised by the Children’s Network of the Oxford Academic Health Science Network. It was open to children in school years 1 and 2 in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. This is the first time this age group have been offered the flu vaccine.
They were asked for submissions on the theme: ‘This is what I would look like with flu’.
“We were delighted with the quality of the entries,” said Prof Andy Pollard, who leads the Oxford AHSN Children’s Network.
“They were funny, clever and very striking. The quality was fantastic, particularly considering most of the artists are only five or six. The posters showed real understanding of the flu, demonstrating that their teachers had passed on the information we sent them.
“The winning image says it all – if you don’t want to look this bad, make sure you’ve had the flu vaccine.”
The 12 best designs are being turned into a calendar to help spread the word about flu immunisation for children. You can see them all in this gallery. More information about the Oxford AHSN children’s flu immunisation campaign here.