This Spring, schools across the country are invited to take part in a national competition to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. Participating schools will be asked to create designs exploring their hopes for the future.  A selection of winning designs will then be displayed at the Tower of London, the home of the Crown Jewels.

Schoolchildren throughout the UK will have the opportunity to design their own illustrated Coronation benches, inspired by their values as they enter the new era of the reign of King Charles III. Fifteen winning designs will be chosen to be brought to life collaboration with global public art producers Wild in Art and displayed at the Tower of London and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens during the Coronation celebrations in 2023.

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) – the independent charity that cares for the Tower of London – has developed a collection of teaching resources to support all schools as they mark this historic moment in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to explore the Coronation as a moment of transition and discover the symbolism of objects traditionally used in the ceremony, including the Crown Jewels. School groups are also encouraged to create bench designs, working together to think about and then create visual representations of their hopes for the future in the reign of King Charles III.

This competition provides an opportunity for children and young people to have their voices heard as the country marks a moment of national and historic significance. The winning schools will be offered a VIP class trip to visit the Tower of London and see their benches in position at the famous royal palace, where they will remain throughout the Coronation celebrations before being gifted back to the schools as a permanent reminder of this historic year. Winners in Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to see their bench displayed at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

The Tower of London is the home of the Crown Jewels – a glittering collection including more than 23,000 gemstones and some of the nation’s most precious treasures. At the heart of the collection are the Coronation Regalia: the sacred objects used during the coronation ceremony to represent the powers and responsibilities of the monarch. These include St Edward’s Crown, worn at the moment of crowning, and the Imperial State Crown, which is often worn by the monarch on State occasions.

Tom O’Leary, Public Engagement Director, Historic Royal Palaces, said:

“Following on from the success of our Superbloom schools project, which reached nearly 1,500 schools across the UK in 2022, we are delighted to be marking this historic Coronation year with another engaging education programme.

It is our hope that these benches will enable schoolchildren to contribute their voices to this moment in history, with the winning designs helping to convey the hopes of young people for this new reign at the Tower of London and Hillsborough Castle. We look forward to seeing the submitted designs, and welcoming schools to the palaces this summer to celebrate the Coronation with us.”