Artistically talented students impressed the reviewers at last night's (4 September) Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEU-QNT) Excellence in Art Design Awards 2024.
The awards held at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Brisbane attracted over 600 entries from students and teachers across the Queensland and Northern Territory independent education sector, with entrants submitting artwork with a theme of 'Growing Up'.
This year's events saw a high number of awards of excellence and highly commended recognitions given to student artists from regional locations including Alice Springs, Biloela, Cairns, Gladstone, Toowoomba, Plainland, Mackay and Townsville.
Student Cody Ingram from Sophia College in Plainland was awarded the top honour of the Harriet Hunter Memorial Award, established in memory of a gifted student whose life was tragically taken in the 1999 South-East Queensland floods.
The Harriet Hunter Memorial Award winner is selected from all winning entries across Pre-school to Year 12 and was reviewed by Adrian and Sue Hunter.
Adrian said Cody's winning piece titled Growing Up with Big Brother was fresh and humorous in its interpretation of the topic.
"This artwork is a narrative about survival," Adrian said.
"The magpie features are like a totem; it is confident, alert, and adapting to a challenging futuristic landscape, demonstrating the same qualities a young person might need growing up today," Adrian said.
"This concept has been skilfully expressed through the composition and the handling of the medium," he said.
IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the Award reviewers were wowed by the quality of submissions across all age groups in response to the theme.
"The reviewers commented on the high standard of entries and the varied and creative interpretations that entrants brought to this year's theme," Mr Burke said.
"Our union established the Awards in 1994 to promote and encourage artistic students and celebrate their flair for creativity.
"Art is a very important area of learning in schools, and IEU-QNT is proud to support the artistic talent of students and staff in the Queensland non-government sector.
"We congratulate all awardees for their remarkable achievements," Mr Burke said.
