High school students in the Tweed are invited to participate in the national Speaking 4 the Planet competition on the theme: Trees: the guardians of life.
Speaking 4 the Planet is an arts-based sustainability competition for high school students aged 12-18. The competition asks participants to submit creative entries in one of four categories: speaking, visual arts, writing, or performance poetry.
The overarching topic for this year's competition is 'Trees: the guardians of life' and requires entries to show research and understanding about the importance of trees to Australia's natural and urban environments.
Council is sponsoring participation for youth in the Tweed as part of its climate action work with the community, which recognises the importance of young people's voices.
Tweed Shire Council's Sustainability Education Officer Jane Moad said the competition offers young people the chance to share their connections to trees in a creative way.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to speak up about what they value most about trees, whether it's natural habitats, conservation, shading in built-up areas or health and wellbeing," Ms Moad said.
"With monetary prizes on offer and the opportunity for submissions to be showcased at future Tweed climate and sustainability events, there are plenty of reasons why local young people should consider entering this competition.
"For high school science, English or arts teachers, the competition would work well as a class project aimed at tackling an environmental challenge and expressing ideas in a creative form.
"Council's sustainability team would also like to hear if you or your school is participating this year. We can help you with promoting this event in your schools."
Last year, three students from the Tweed Shire were recognised in the competition. The Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School students were place-getters in the Performance Poetry and Writing categories.
Entries are now open for the competition. Submissions close on Friday 26 July.
