Mayo students take top prizes in Green-Schools marine competitions
TWO Mayo students were honoured at an awards ceremony celebrating the winners of this year’s Green-Schools Marine Spatial Planning Poster and Photography Competitions.
Lottie Billington of the Sacred Heart School, Westport, and Liliana Austin of Killeen National School, Louisburgh, took the national title in two categories.
Twelve students were awarded for depicting their vision for the future of Ireland’s ocean and coast through posters in the 'Every Sea Tells a Story' poster competition, while three students were awarded in the 'My Sea, My Story' photography competition.
The poster competition was awash with colour and imagination, capturing the many ways we connect with the marine environment. Woven through the artwork were powerful messages calling for less pollution and a deeper respect for our oceans.
From the 12 regional poster competition winners, three national winners were selected, with Liliana Austin from 6th class, Killeen National School, winning the senior primary category.
In the photography competition, the national winning entry was titled 'Calmness and Escape' and was captured by Lottie Billington, a student from the Sacred Heart School, Westport.
Inspired by her love of the sea and the beach, Lottie’s image reflects the sense of peace she finds during family walks by the shore, a place where she can unwind and momentarily escape the pressures of school life.
In partnership with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Green-Schools invited students to design posters illustrating how they envision Ireland’s seas being used in the future. The competition aligns with the National Marine Planning Framework, which seeks to balance the various demands on Ireland’s marine territory while protecting and conserving the marine environment.
The competition was open to schools participating in the Green-Schools Marine Environment theme, which encourages students to learn about the importance of the ocean, take action to reduce marine litter, and raise awareness within their local communities about how to protect the marine environment.