It was the power of love...

Hundreds of schoolchildren used that power to create stunning artwork for Bradford International Festival.

The paintings will now be on display in Centenary Square during the festival.

A total of 820 youngsters entered a competition organised by the Telegraph & Argus and Education Bradford which asked pupils to be creative using the festival theme of love.

The contest was one of a number of projects aimed at getting schools involved in the festival and every school in the district was invited to take part.

All the entries will go up on hoardings in Centenary Square during the festival over the next couple of weeks.

And the two winners - one from a primary and one from a secondary school - will receive a Sony EJ750 personal CD player worth £69.99, donated by Sunwin House, and art equipment donated by Probyns Stationery & Office Products, Bradford.

Ten-year-old Ami Walker, pictured, of Ley Top Primary School, Allerton, won the primary section with a colourful painting featuring the slogan Love is Everything and flowers, stars, and love hearts.

And Aisha Hussain, 13, of Nabwood School won the secondary school category with her romantic illustration of harp-playing angels and peacocks dancing around a heart, and the slogan Love Brings out the Angels.

Ami said: "I couldn't believe it when I heard I'd won. Art is my favourite subject and I want to be an artist when I grow up."

Ley Top School's art co-ordinator Caroline Goldsbrough said: "I talked to the children about the concept of love and how it applies to things like family and pets, as well as romance. This competition has been a great way of getting children involved in the Festival. We're proud of Ami."

Aisha said she wanted to show "that love is happiness."

"I love art and I'm looking forward to seeing my picture up in Centenary Square."

Aisha's teacher Peter Rogers said: "Aisha has done brilliantly. The pupils all worked very hard for this competition."

T&A editor Perry Austin-Clarke, who came up with the idea for the competition, said: "We're extremely pleased by the high number and exceptional quality of the entries we've received. The whole idea of the competition was to help get children and their families more interested in, and aware of, the festival and we certainly seem to have achieved that."

Graham Cox, Education Bradford's strategic manager for music, arts and sport, said: "There has been a terrific response from schools, the breadth and variety has been extraordinary. There have been many different ways of interpreting the theme - for some young lads, love is their favourite football team, whereas other youngsters have a more sophisticated view of love.

"This has been a great opportunity for young people to get more involved with the Bradford Festival."