Results

RESULT: S4P 2023 Australia – Edge of the future

by Hanh Do

Speaking 4 the Planet 2023 Australia offered students around the nation an opportunity to link global and local issues and ideas. The overarching topic for the competition was Edge of the Future. Participants had to discuss this in regard to one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) selected by the local council.

Councils from around Australia helped fund this year’s competition and support students in their LGAs to participate.

The competition attracted nearly 100 entries coming from 05 different States and Territories. We received:

  • 33 speeches
  • 36 artworks
  • 08 pieces of performance poetry
  • 20 writing pieces.

and here are our winners!

Read the detailed results in this Report.

SPEAKING

From amongst the 33, the judges found a winner and a runner-up. But they could not separate the next 3! After some deliberation, they agreed to award joint 3rd place.

The winner is Roseanna Huang from Brigidine College, St Ives, NSW.

“With a powerful voice, her speech delivers powerful messages about equity and sustainability.”

The runner-up is Ashwini Aravinthan from Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta NSW.

Sharing Third place are:

  • Sierra Lake from Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta, NSW.
  • Avryl Bergado from Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta, NSW.
  • Anthony Baaini from Parramatta Marist, Westmead, NSW.

WRITING

From the 22 entries, the judges selected two as joint winners in this category.

Aleksi Pearce and Nicolas Lecuna from Northside Montessori School, Pymble, NSW.

Reaching Net Zero Together
Recycle and reuse.
Reduce waste and emissions.
Research and responsibly make choices.
Run or ride to work.
Reach out and educate others.
R you ready? Earth is!

Mayurie Sivananthan from Abbotsleigh Girls College, Wahroonga, NSW.

Community in harmony, we embrace change,
Reduce energy, waste, and transport’s carbon range.
Together we build a city,
sustainable and bright,
For healthier lives, a future shining with light.

ART

Another tough category to judge. There were 36 artworks in total. Our judges (in three different countries) finally settled on these as the winners.

  • Isabella Wu – Eco Echoes. “My top pick. Most relevant to the topic. Excellent use of paint media”. I“Great art. Great message.”
  • Aaron Chevalier. “My Third pick. Lovely use of paint”
  • Meera Nirmalendran – The Future is Yours- Which Do You Choose?. “Beautiful Pen work. Lovely use of colour. Intricate”
  • Rafael Palad – Responsible. “Excellent use of the juxtaposition of warm colours/cool colours. Relevant to the topic.” Consumption and Production.
  • Annemieke Earp – Entangled. “Captures the problems and the challenges of solutions.”

First: Isabella Wu from Abbotsleigh Girls College, Wahroonga, NSW.

Second: Meera Nirmalendran, Abbotsleigh Girls College, Wahroonga, NSW

Highly commended:

  • Aaron Chevalier from Parramatta Marist High School, Westmead, NSW.
  • Rafael Palad from Parramatta Marist High School.
  • Annemieke Earp from Home Schooling, Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

PERFORMANCE POETRY

For only the second time, we included this category in the S4P competition. Eight students participated. Perhaps it’s a new medium for lots of students. It invites creativity in text and actions.

First place
McKayla Tan from Ravenswood School for Girls, “The Weather Report”.

“An excellent performance with great variation in voice, emotion and body language.”


Second place
Beatrice Broad from Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar College.

Highly commended
Victoria Chu from Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School.

Thanks to all the Councils around Australia that supported this inaugural national S4P competition.

Thanks for the ongoing support from Paddy Pallin and the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre.

And thanks to the brave participants who put themselves and their ideas out to the world.