Meet Beth Bailey, the Guinness World Records 2022 Cover Star!
In March, we ran a competition that gave one lucky Aussie the chance to be illustrated onto GWR 2022 by cover designer, Rod Hunt. To enter, participants had to draw or design their own GWR 2022 book cover. From hundreds of entries, Rod selected a drawing from Beth Bailey, an 11-year-old Tasmanian, as the winner. Beth’s teacher, Katelyn Cramer, entered her class’ drawings into the competition as part of a school activity.
Last seen sliding down a ginormous sandcastle on the cover of this year’s Guinness World Records 2022, we sat down with Beth and her teacher, Miss Cramer, to ask some questions.
Find out how you can be on the cover of GWR 2023 below!
Name: Beth Bailey
Age: 11
Hometown: Togari, Tasmania
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Tell us a little about yourself! What year are you in? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Any pets?
I like horses, I’m in grade 5, I have one brother and we live on a dairy farm where we have two horses, four dogs, one cat, five ducks and one rabbit.
Beth Bailey, as illustrated by Rod Hunt, onto the front cover of Guinness World Records 2022
Why did you enter the competition to get on the cover of Guinness World Records 2022?
My teacher, Miss Cramer, told my class about it and we were doing it at school and then I took it home and finished it.
Do you have a super cool special skill?
Riding Stormy ( my pony).
We loved your drawing! Tell us about it . . .
It is about Australia and a person doing a cartwheel.
How does it feel to be on the cover of Guinness World Records 2022?
I feel happy and excited to see it!
What’s your favourite thing about the Guinness World Records books?
I really like the amazing animals part, and the funny records people have done.
Is there a record that you think you could or wish you could break? What is it?
Most horse hugs in a minute!
What would you like to see on the cover of Guinness World Records 2023 (next year’s book)?
My friends and pets.
Beth Bailey’s cover competition entry
We also caught up with Beth’s teacher, Katelyn, to ask her a few questions too!
Full Name: Katelyn Cramer
Hometown: Smithton, Tasmania
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Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been teaching?
I have lived in Tasmania my whole life and grew up in the small North-West community of Circular Head. I completed my teaching degree in 2019 and have now been teaching for two and a half years. I feel very lucky to have begun my teaching career at Forest Primary School and in the surrounding community where I spent my own childhood.
Tell us why you got your class to enter the competition to be on the cover of Guinness World Records 2022?
I got my class to enter the Guinness World Records competition because my students love the books. Any time we go to the library or have time for enjoyment reading they always have their heads in these books! I thought it would be something exciting and engaging for them and a way for them to express their ideas of what would be fitting for the front cover of the 2022 edition whilst also letting their creativity shine.
How did you find out about the competition?
I found out about the competition from our school business manager who sent through an email she has received from Pan Macmillan Australia inviting us to join the competition.
Guinness World Records 2022 illustrator, Rod Hunt, selected one of your students, Beth Bailey, as the cover competition winner. How does it feel to have your student on the cover of this year’s book?
When I initially got the email to let me know that Beth had won, I was super surprised and shocked. I never thought that a student from my class in Tasmania would be the winner across all of Australia and New Zealand. I am beyond proud of Beth, and I feel very excited for her that she has won this amazing opportunity.
Why do you think Beth’s entry won?!
I believe that Beth’s entry was selected, as you could tell the amount of time she had taken to consider what to include and how to present her ideas. She had taken the time to add small fine details that added to the overall aesthetics of the piece.
Did you expect one of your students to make it on the cover?
No, not initially when I first uploaded the student’s entries to the website, I could already see hundreds of entries, and some of them were very good so I thought our chances might have been slim.
Did you read the Guinness World Records books when you were younger? Do the books still have a place in your life now?
Yes, I remember reading them in my early years particularly in Primary School and they are definitely a part of my life through my teaching. The students often like to share insightful facts and findings that they discover while reading them.
What’s your favourite thing about the Guinness World Records books? Do you have a favourite record?
I like the different sections within the books and the way they are appropriate for all ages from middle primary to secondary. The records have parts that all students are interested in therefore making them engaging for a large range of people young and old! I do not necessarily have a favourite record but I remember reading the 2006/2007 editions the most.
Is there a record you’ve always wanted to break? Or is there one you think you could break?!
This is a hard question, if there was a record, I could break it would probably be the number of words typed in a minute. The students are always telling me how fast I type so I would say this is probably my best shot and breaking a record.
Find Beth on the cover of Guinness World Records 2022.
Want to be on next year’s cover? Rod Hunt will be expanding the record-breaking world of our covers into outer space. Enter the competition for a chance to be part of the galaxy of record holders, planets and cutting-edge robots.
