GLASGOW school pupils are being encouraged to enter a new art competition launched as part of the city's annual Hate Crime Aware Week in October.

Entrants are being given the chance to walk away with £250 prizes, with judges looking for pieces of art which show what hate crime means to those involved.

A hate crime is any crime motivated by prejudice or hate against a person because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

Schools have until Thursday, September 26, to submit their entries, with a selection then going on display.

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The works of art will be shown in the City Chambers during Hate Crime Awareness Week itself, from Monday, October 7 to Sunday, October 13.

Councillor Chris Cunningham, city convener for Education, Skills and Early Years, welcomed schools involvement this year.

He added: “Improving public awareness of hate crime and how to respond to it is at the heart of this campaign.

"This includes educating our young people about diversity, equality and inclusion.

“We all have a responsibility to stand up against hate crime in all its forms.

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"It’s important that we all work together towards creating a society where everyone feels respected and valued.

“I’m delighted to have our schools – both primary and secondary - involved this year and look forward to seeing what young people think about hate crime and what it means to them through their submissions.”

Glasgow was the first city in Scotland to mark Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Now in its fifth year, the week long event across the city encourages the public – victims and witnesses – to speak out and report hate crime incidents.

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The city took up the campaign to encourage activity to address hate crime and to educate and raise awareness of the harm and devastation it causes.

The council has a team of ambassadors who deliver training and foster support around hate crime awareness.

It encourages agencies to work alongside partners in both public and voluntary sectors as well as in communities affected by hate crime.

In 2018, Glasgow was shown to have the highest number of hate crimes of anywhere in Glasgow, which experts say could be linked to the greater than average level of ethnic diversity.

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The vast majority of hate crimes recorded - 67 per cent - were racist, while the second most common target was sexual orientation, with 16 per cent.

A further seven per cent had a religious aggravator.

A total of 6,736 crimes were recorded by the police hate crime database in 2017/18 across Scotland.

During that time frame, there were around 30 hate crimes per 10,000 across the city, compared to a Scottish average of just 12. This was the highest figure of any area in the country.