Jump to topic
2026 poster competition - winners
We celebrate National Water Week each year by running a poster competition for young students within our service area.
Students were encouraged to design, draw or paint a poster that inspires people to become water heroes and save precious water.
A huge thank you to all the students that participated and to all the teachers and family members who supported them to get their entries in.
We were so inspired by your colourful artworks that demonstrated how we can all be water heroes by reducing our water use.
Individual prizes
| Category | Name and school |
|---|---|
| Foundation | Penelope, Mirboo North Primary School |
| Year 1-2 | Isobel, Traralgon South Primary School |
| Year 3-4 | Violet, Traralgon South Primary School |
| Year 5-6 | Bonnie, Stockdale Primary School |
School prize
Mirboo North Primary School won our random school prize draw, earning themselves $500 towards STEM learning resources or a sustainability project.
Congratulations to all our winners! Prizes will be delivered to your school soon!
Winning posters for 2026
Check out this year's winning posters below. Penelope also went on to receive state prize!
The theme was: "Water Heroes: Make every drop count"
National Water Week learning resources
Get your class thinking about how they can reduce their water use and save every drop with these fun activities for National Water Week.
About the 2026 poster competition
Theme: 'Water Heroes: Make every drop count'
This year's mission was to create a poster that inspires our community to reduce their use and help save Gippsland’s precious water. Remember, we can all make sure every little drop counts!
Some simple tips to help you become a water saving hero:
- Take 4-minute showers
- Keep the water level low when having a bath
- Turn off taps while brushing your teeth
- Carefully turn off taps all the way, making sure there are no drips.
- Let an adult know if you spot a leaking tap
- Save the full flush for number twos. Use the half-flush when you pee.
- Scrape food scraps rather than rinse dishes
- Use a bucket and sponge when washing the car
- Plant native plants and put mulch in the garden
Key dates
- Entries opened: 21 April 2026
- Entries closed: 5pm on Friday 11 September 2026
- Winners will be announced during National Water Week, 19 - 25 October 2026.
Age group categories
- Early Learning/Kindergarten (both individual entries and collaborative entries will be accepted)
- Foundation (individual entries)
- Years 1 – 2 (individual entries)
- Years 3 – 4 (individual entries)
- Years 5 – 6 (individual entries)
- Years 7-8 (individual entries)
Prizes
Early learning / Kindergarten
- 1st prize (individual) = $50 local voucher* + prize pack**
- 1st prize (collaborative) = $50 local voucher*
Primary & secondary school
Individual prize awarded for each age category :
- 1st prize = $100 local voucher* + prize pack**
Early learning / Kindergarten / School prize
- $500 to put towards a sustainability project or STEM resources. All centres/schools with at least one entry will be placed into a random draw.
*Local vouchers - Winners will be given a choice of a voucher from a sports shop or book shop within our service area.
**Prize packs - Will include a Gippsland Water bag, Gippsland Water drink bottle, colouring pencils, trigger nozzle and native seed pack.
Entry conditions
- Poster size must be A4 or A3
- Any medium, from paper to digital, can be used
- Any art material and digital technology can be used, including paint, textas, crayons, coloured pencils, collage materials, original photographs and digital graphics
- Uploaded files are limited to 20MB
- Image files should be in .JPG, .PDF or .PNG formats
- For primary and secondary school aged children, group artwork will NOT be accepted (only one child per artwork)
- For early learning/kindergarten both individual entries and collaborative entries will be accepted
- Each child/student/collaborative group can only enter once
Originality requirements
- 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 editing (e.g. scanning or cropping) is permitted
- By submitting an entry, participants confirm the work is their own.
Judging
Winners of the preschool and primary school categories will be chosen by:
- How well the poster communicates the National Water Week theme, “Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count,” and/or relevant water issues
- Visual impact – how attractive the poster is from a distance
- Effective use of art materials
- Creativity and originality of imagery, design or concepts
Winners of the secondary school category will be chosen by:
- Theme communication – clear and meaningful connection to the theme “Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count.”
- Visual impact – eye-catching, bold, and easy to understand from a distance
- Technical skill – effective and purposeful use of art materials
- Innovation – demonstrates fresh ideas, modern design approaches, or imaginative concepts
- Creativity and originality – shows a distinctive personal voice and moves beyond predictable or copied ideas
- Accuracy of information – any facts, statistics, or messages presented are correct, appropriate, and relevant to water issues
State competition
First prize winners in each category from all participating Victorian water corporations are automatically entered into the state level of competition.