Speaking 4 the Planet
Spreading the word about sustainability through speaking, poetry, art and writing
This arts-based competition, encouraged high school students to create a written, spoken or visual piece of work based on the theme: ‘Trees, Guardians of Life’
2024 winners
Category 1 - Visual Arts
First: Eloise from Turramurra High School for the ceramic creation ‘Mother Nature’, which explores the connections we have with trees and local bushland.
Second: Isabella from Abbotsleigh Senior School for the painting demonstrating the interconnectedness of a tree, nature and blossoming of life, which guides her to live with nurturing kindness to the world.
Highly Commended: Stella from Pymble Ladies’ College for the charcoal drawing ‘Guardian of the Secret Garden’, protective and majestic.
Highly Commended: Khendrup from Ku-ring-gai High School for the landscape painting demonstrating the beauty of nature which we may take for granted, forgetting that Mother Nature gifted it to us, so we could live.
Highly Commended: Pavithra from Ku-ring-gai High School for the charcoal tree artwork made from different sizes of paper, layering one big piece.
Highly Commended: Maggie from Ku-ring-gai High School for the watercolour painting of trees.
Category 2 - Writing (30 word limit)
First: Mayurie from Abbotsleigh Senior School for the descriptive prose writing ‘Guardians of Harmony’.
Second: Emma from Ku-ring-gai High School for the haiku poem about leaves.
Highly Commended: Jake from Ku-ring-gai High School for the haiku poem ‘The Helpless Ones’.
Highly Commended: Erin from Ku-ring-gai High School for the haiku poem about trees.
Category 3 - Expanded writing
First: Jiayi from NBSC Manly Selective Campus, who lives in Turramurra, for her writing about Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest, a critically Endangered Ecological Community and steps we can take to solve this environmental crisis.
Second: Isla from Wahroonga Adventist School for the piece of writing about native Australian trees and wildlife and how we have let them down.
Category 4 - Expanded poetry
First: Marlie from Ku-ring-gai High School for the poem ‘My Tree’.
Second: Peppa from Ku-ring-gai High School for the three haiku poem compilation about trees.
Highly Commended: Seren from Ku-ring-gai High School for the three haiku poem compilation about trees.
Highly Commended: Aaryan from Ku-ring-gai High School for the three haiku poem compilation entitled ‘Life Providers’.
2024 National competition: Isabella from Abbotsleigh placed third in the Visual Arts section - Congratulations to Isabella!