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Not one, but two learners from Hermanus Waldorf school in Sandbaai are among the eight talented winners of the prestigious Moorcroft South African design competition and have had their artwork professionally applied to pottery vases which are regarded around the world as valuable collectors' items.

The objective of the competition, run by American antiques dealer Ed Pascoe and Moorcroft, was to find SAs most talented artists and for them to design a vase with a distinctive South African theme to suit the age-old decorative techniques used on Moorcroft pottery.

After Moorcroft gave Waldorf an R80 000 donation towards their new security fence last year, they were informed about the national design competition and encouraged their learners to enter. The competition, launched in July 2007, was divided into an over 16's category and an under 16's section. Over a hundred entries were received from professional and amateur artists who were required to submit their inspirational watercolour designs on vase templates.

Designers Emma Bossons and Kerry Goodwin, from the Moorcroft Design Studio, based at the original pottery works - dating back to 1912 when William Moorcroft developed his unique art pottery technique - in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, appraised the entries. Only eight winners in total were selected - four from the junior category and four from the adult category. Five of the eight winners are from the Western Cape and two of this five are from Hermanus Waldorf school. This remarkable achievement has staff at the school beaming with pride. Ninky Matthee, involved in administration at the school, says 12-year old Mbongeni Sanda “has exceptional talent,” and 11-year old Nqobile Mbatha's mother was very surprised by her daughter's achievement.

Mbongeni's design, entitled Table Mountain, and Nqobile's which is called Home Amongst the Trees, along with the other six winners, have had their designs made into two Moorcroft vases at the ceramic pottery company in England. The vases were on exhibition in Cape Town recently and Ninky and Nqobile attend the fancy affair on 5 April.

Ninky says: “Nqobiles vase is striking and stood out from the others.”

At the National Antiques and Decorative Arts Fair due to take place in Johannesburg from 17 July, each of the eight winners will be presented with one of their vases (valued at approximately R4 500 each) bearing their own design, and the second piece will be auctioned by BBC Antiques Roadshow host Eric Knowles. The money raised from the auction will be given to the Twilight Children's charity in Johannesburg which cares for street children. At the Moorcroft design competition auction in July, an overall winner will be presented with R5 000. Moorcroft's handcrafted ceramic pieces range in price from R2 400 for a tiny pot, to anything up to R96 000 for a one meter decorative pot. The designs featured on the eight winning vases from the competiton are truly South African interpretations of nature and local culture and the two young Waldorf learners living in Zwelihle have joined the ranks of the select few Moorcroft designers whose work has graced some of the most desirable art pottery ever made.

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