Young people are invited to portray Bermuda’s heritage in a new art competition.

Genetics research company CariGenetics has partnered with the departments of education and culture to organise the contest.

All students up to S4 are encouraged to take part in the competition and any form of art will be accepted.

Representatives from CariGenetics, the Government, Bloom and the Kaleidoscope Foundation will help shortlist entries for an online vote that will determine the winner.

The finalists’ pieces will be shown in a public gallery and the winning work placed on a limited edition “BeforeYou” ancestry testing kit.

Carika Weldon, chief executive of CariGenetics, mentioned the new test, which highlights the genetic heritage of persons with African and Indigenous roots, at the fifth annual tech conference last week.

She said the service “not only enhances the understanding of one’s genetic background, but does so with a focus on the unique lineage of Bermudian and Caribbean populations”.

“This Heritage Month, we look forward to enriching our community's connection to their past.”

The winner of the art contest will also receive the kit, which is usually $249, for free.

Nikeisha Holdipp, the Department of Education’s acting education officer for curriculum and assessment, said: “From the social studies lens, students explore the origins of Bermuda's early population and this opportunity allows erased cultures to reclaim identity and provides a decolonised academic gateway to paint a more defined picture of Bermuda's rich Black Indigenous and People of Colour ancestral quilt.”

Students can register and submit entries for the competition here and have until May 31 to do so.

People who pre-order the test at carigenetics.com/before-you within this month will receive a 24 per cent discount.

Kits can be collected and dropped off at any local post office and will be available for collection at the end of June, after the winner of the contest has been announced.