Residents are being encouraged to get involved with two campaigns as part of this year’s Staffordshire Day celebrations.
Twenty schools from across the county have taken part in a design a Staffordshire plate competition and following the first round of judging, the public can now cast their vote and crown the winners.
Photography is also being put in the spotlight with people being invited to share their favourite photos of the county.
We Are Staffordshire, the place marketing organisation for the county, is delivering the plate project which challenged pupils to base their designs on what Staffordshire means to them.
Nine winning designs – one from each area of the county and Stoke-on-Trent – will be produced by Duchess 1888 and then be displayed at locations across Staffordshire from May onwards.
Louisa Shaw, Head of Place Marketing at We Are Staffordshire, said: “We wanted to open the project up to more pupils for our 2025 Staffordshire Day activity and were thrilled with the response from schools who wanted to participate.
“The project aims to raise civic pride and awareness among young people of the amazing things our county has to offer, in addition to sharing information about Staffordshire Day. Pupils have come up with some fantastic designs for plates and we can’t wait to find out who our winners are.”
Votes in the plate competition can be cast here before 12 noon on Monday, 14 April.
Staffordshire Day, an annual event which highlights the county’s people, places, culture and landscapes, has been running since 2016 when Staffordshire marked its 1,000th anniversary. The date – May 1 – was chosen in a public poll as it is the anniversary of Josiah Wedgwood setting up his pottery company in 1759.
Photos submitted for the occasion should capture the essence of Staffordshire and could be featured as part of the official campaign and shared on social media with credit to the photographer.
Charlotte Cain, Investment Agency Manager at Staffordshire County Council, said: “We’re a great county to visit with great people, amazing attractions and locations and Staffordshire Day is our way of letting everyone know.
“This is our ninth celebration and this year photography is taking centre stage. What better way to showcase our amazing county than through photos and pictures? And it doesn’t matter whether you’re an amateur or a professional, please send us your shots and we’ll feature them throughout the celebration.”
To submit a photo for the celebrations, email communications@staffordshire.gov.uk, including the name of the photographer and details of where the image was taken, by Friday, 11 April.
Organisers of Staffordshire Day events can submit details to be featured on the Visit Staffordshire website, while residents and businesses are encouraged to spread the word using the hashtag #StaffordshireDay.
