Cover Art Competition

As part of our Service Mapping Report, we invited people with lived experience of eating disorders, or caring for someone with an eating disorder, to share their artwork for a chance to be featured on the front cover of the report.

We were delighted to receive 82 entries from across the country, each offering a powerful and moving perspective on the realities of eating disorders and the journey of recovery. The standard of submissions was extremely high, and the judging panel, our NAED Implementation Group, found the decision-making process very challenging.

Winning Artwork

We are proud to feature the winning artwork on the front cover of our report:

Title: From Chaos to Colour: The Journey of ED Recovery
Artist: Sophia Coles

NAED Cover art competition winning submission

Artist's Description:
This piece portrays eating disorder recovery as a journey from dark chaos to discovering the renewed vibrance in life. The swirling colours represent the overwhelming, non-linear experience of an eating disorder, while also representing the hope and energy that recovery can bring. A torn, prison-like wall represents the grip of the illness slowly breaking open, as helping hands reach through but remain held back by the walls of isolation the ED has built. This artwork aims to capture the painful yet hopeful path of rediscovering colour, freedom, and a sense of self through recovery.

Runner-Up Artwork

Title: Footprints for Change
Artist: Rachel Nicholls

Thank You

We are incredibly grateful to Sophia for sharing this powerful vision of recovery. We would also like to thank all those who submitted their work for making this competition such a meaningful and inspiring part of the project.

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry