National Water Week Poster Competition

Entries must be submitted by 5pm Friday 18 September. 

All entries will be displayed in Shoalhaven City Council's Nowra Administration Building. Shoalhaven Water will select winning entries from each category and submit them to the Australian Water Association (AWA) for national judging.

Winners will be chosen using the following criteria: 

• Relevance to local water issues
• How well it can be reproduced to promote National Water Week 
• Visual appeal and use of colour
• How good it looks from a distance 
• Effective use of art materials
• Creativity and originality

Categories:

• Kindergarten (individual or collaborative)
• Years 1 & 2 (individual)
• Years 3 & 4 (individual)
• Years 5 & 6 (individual)

Entries must be:

• Size: A3 (30x40cm) or A4 (21x30cm)
• Format: Paper or digital
• Materials: any (paint, pencils. Markers, collage, digital tools etc.)

The winners will be announced during National Water Week.

Terms & Conditions

1. Entry to this competition is free and open to all levels of primary school aged children (K-6) in the Shoalhaven. 
2. Entries can be submitted in person or through the online submission form. 
3. Entries close 5 pm, Friday 18 September 2026.
4. Entries must be A3 or A4 size (digital submissions must be .jpg or .pdf).
5. For kindergarten, both individual entries and collaborative entries will be accepted.
6. Each child/student/collaborative group can only enter once.
7. National Water Week Local Competition Supporter judging will take place by representatives of Shoalhaven Water. Winners will be notified during National Water Week, 19 - 25 October 2026.
8. Shoalhaven Water will submit their top entry in each category for judging to the Australian Water Association (AWA) National Competition.
9. Prizes will be sent directly to the child's/students’ centre/school for distribution. The collaborative early learning/kindergarten prize MUST be spent on the children involved in the entry, whether it be as individual prizes or involve the room they attend, in the form of purchased educational materials/resources/group celebration items.
10. The prize cannot be transferred.
11. The competition organisers will collect personal information about you so that you can participate and to administer the competition. We may use any personal information that an entrant has provided for the purpose of running the Competition and also in advertisements, publications, media statements and other promotional material associated with the Competition.
12. For purposes of public statements and advertisements the water corporation, Australian Water Association and sponsors may publish the winners’ first name, school, and entry category. Australian Water Association is bound by the National Privacy Principles contained in Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
13. By submitting the entry form, entrants will assign a limited copyright of the image to the competition organisers enabling reproduction of the image for public displays and publications (both printed and digital) in conjunction with the competition AND for the purpose of publication in printed and digital material promoting water, including National Water Week in subsequent years. Artists will be credited whenever the posters are used. Entries from students under the age of 18 must have adult consent.
14. Submitting the entry form for this competition constitutes acceptance of these conditions of entry. Shoalhaven City Council and the Australian Water Association is committed to protecting information provided in accordance with the principles of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (NSW). Information contained in your entry form/s may be stored and used by the water corporation administering your completion for the purpose of managing National Water Week events. Failure to provide contact details for entry into the National Water Week Competitions will constitute an invalid entry. This information may be disclosed to relevant government agencies or other stakeholders for these purposes.
15. All entries must be the original work of the child/student(s). Artwork created wholly or partially using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools will not be accepted. Minor technical adjustments (such as scanning, photographing, resizing or cropping) are permitted. By submitting an entry, participants confirm that the work is their own and complies with these Terms and Conditions.

Entries must be submitted by Friday, 18 September to be eligible.

Winners will be selected in each category by Shoalhaven Water.

Prizes for each category include:

• 1^st prize - $100 art pack
• 2^nd prize - $50 art pack

Winning local entries will then be submitted to the Australian Water Association (AWA) for national judging with national winners being announced during National Water Week. 

Artworks must be submitted to Shoalhaven City Council by Friday, 18 September.

In person:

Artworks can be delivered directly to Council or by prior arrangement of pickup from the school by one of our staff. 

To ensure we have the correct student details, each artwork must include a completed entry form secured to the back. You can download a copy of the entry form here. The sheet has been set up to be able to print multiple entries.

Online submissions:

Digital artwork, or scanned or photographed artwork, can be uploaded in jpg or pdf format using our online form.