Leeds 2023 ticket ballot: Olympic diver Yona Knight-Wisdom shares his hopes of inspiring others ahead of huge opening show The Awakening

Leeds 2023 is giving everyone the chance to claim two tickets to The Awakening on Saturday January 7. The special, one-off live show at Headingley Stadium will feature hosts Gabby Logan and Sanchez Payne, singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, CBeebies presenter George Webster, rapper Graft, percussion maestro Inder Goldfinger and more.

Born in Leeds, Yona became the first Jamaican male diver at an Olympic Games when he competed in 2016. He discovered his passion for sport while at school in the city – and it’s pictures capturing those memories and connections that he chose to put into the ticket ballot as his creative submission.

Yona said: “My time at school was where my love of sport grew, I was inspired by my PE teachers to play everything, try anything, and do it all to the best of my ability. Diving found me while I was at school, which has led me down this pathway.

“During lockdown I had to get a bit creative with my training, and decided to take a fun picture to show how much I was missing the water. My school saw this shot, and even almost 10 years after leaving, there was still an important enough connection for them to feature me in their magazine. Maybe this feature might help to inspire some athletes of the future.”

For your chance to be one of the 15,000 people in the crowd for the opening show, simply release your inner artist and submit a piece of creativity to the ticket ballot.

Paint splashes, doodles, portraits made of pasta, Lego sculptures, bus stop raps, and cakes; photographs, videos and audio recordings of anything and everything can be submitted to The Awakening ticket ballot. The ticket ballot submissions are less about the final product and more about creating something that speaks to you as an individual.

Entries must be submitted by Friday November 25, when up to 7,500 pieces of art will be selected at random to receive a pair of free tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

How to submit your entry

There are two ways to submit your ballot – digitally and physically. As a starting point, use the blank back page on the four-page eMag, which you can print off or download: CLICK HERE.

Unleash your creativity on the page, take a photo and scan the QR code on the page to submit. Photo, video or audio artwork files can be submit at www.leeds2023.co.uk

If digital isn’t your thing, you can submit by posting a physical artwork in one of the LEEDS 2023 yellow art boxes located in the following places:

- The Old Fire Station, Gipton

- Middleton Health for All

- Voluntary Action Leeds

- New Wortley Community Centre

- Armley Library

- Reginald Centre

- Hamara

- Bramley Baths

- Kirkgate Market

- Leeds Beckett University, Headingley Campus

- Leeds Beckett University, City Centre Campus.

Grab a flyer from one of these sites, get imaginative with the space and fill in your personal details on the back to ensure you’ve a chance to get two tickets.