We chose to enter this year's 'Speaking for the Planet' competition because it is relates to causes that we are passionate about. 

"Speaking 4 the Planet (S4P) is a public speaking, spoken word and visual arts competition created to provide opportunities for students to express their ideas for a better world." We have not entered many competitions and wanted to try something new. This was a chance to express our ideas and concerns through our artwork. 

The design behind 'Kaitiakitanga' was based around the idea of a guardian protecting the earth, and it strives to encourage people to look after our planet. We were also able to include a dragon/Taniwha and other Maori culture in the artwork. Lily, Room 2

The artwork 'How did we let this happen?" aims to communicate to people what the world may look like in the future, as a consequence of how we are currently treating the planet. This is shown by the astronaut's point of view as they look back at the earth, and see the damage done to the planet. The astronaut aspect of the design also resembles the 50th anniversary of the historic moon landing, reminding us of how far we've come and what we are capable of as individuals and communities. -Gabby, Room 2 

Seeing our artworks on display at the Botanic gardens gave us both a sense of pride. We are thankful for our fantastic prizes and look forward to entering again next year. We would recommend that you do too! 

Lily & Gabby, Room 2