Nine young Australians have today been named winners of the Think Climate, Think Change Schools Competition, following an outstanding response from schoolchildren across the nation.

The winners of the competition are:

• Category Grades 3-4: Isabella Compton, Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School, NSW.
• Category Grades 5-7: Young Environment Protectors, Manchester Primary School, VIC (comprising Krystal Vanschoonhoven, Rhiannon Warner, Ashleigh Basham, Tani Watts, Thomas Stevens, Jessica Gilbee, and Isabelle Pope).
• Category Grades 8-9: Michelle Aitken, John Curtin College of the Arts, WA.

The winners were able to show their artwork to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, at Parliament House. They were able to raise their ideas about what climate change means to them.

Senator Wong said the widespread interest in the competition showed just how much young people cared about climate change.

"It is our future generations that will feel the strongest impacts of climate change and the tremendous response to this competition shows just how concerned our youth are about climate change,'' she said.

"Young Australians understand that we need to take action now.''

The competition was inspired by letters received from school children across Australia asking about climate change and sharing their ideas for solutions to the issue of climate change.

"I am greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm Australian students and teachers have shown for the competition - we received 7666 entries, which is a tremendous response," Senator Wong said.

"I congratulate the winners and finalists and thank every student who took the time to enter the competition and share creatively what climate change means to them."

The Government received entries in all forms, including paintings, short stories, cartoons and drawings. Students raised their concerns about what the environment may look like in the future if we do not act now and also explained ways people could help, such as using energy wisely. Entries came from as far away as Thursday Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

The finalists' entries can be viewed at www.climatechange.gov.au  

MEDIA BACKGROUNDER - Winning Entries and Finalists

Grades 3-4 Category:

There were almost 2300 entries in the grade 3-4 category. This age group expressed a strong concern about the loss of animals' habitats and of their extinction. Polar Bears featured very strongly, followed by penguins and then, to a lesser extent, other animals including Australian native animals. The winners and finalists were:

• First Place: Isabella Compton. Isabella is a young advocate for climate change action who is very concerned about the effects of climate change on Australia's natural habitat. In her entry Isabella writes how climate change makes the world a not so nice place to live in. In her artwork she shows what could happen to the trees in the future.
• Second Place: Anünaki Holmes, Home School, VIC
• Third Place: Zoe Robinson, Osborne's Flat Primary School, VIC
• Highly commended: Younis Menkara, Al-Faisal College, NSW
• Highly commended: Sybilla Wajon, Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School, NSW
• Highly commended: Jack Reid, Corowa South Public School, NSW

Grades 5-7 Category:

More than half of all competition entries were received from students in grades 5-7 - almost 4600 in total. While the loss of animal habitat was also a key issue for students in grades 5-7, there was also a lot of thought put into what the environment used to be like compared to what the environment is like now. Overall students were optimistic that if we take action now, we can return the environment to the way it used to be. The winners and finalists were:

• First Place: Young Environment Protectors. There are seven students in the Young Environment Protectors Group (the YEP team), who were represented by Krystal Vanschoonhoven at the awards ceremony. In their artwork the team explored how we live now and how we could live in the future if we cared for our environment and addressed climate change compared with the future we face if we fail to act.
• Second Place: Pidavara Bule-Turner, Baler Primary School, WA
• Third place: Isobella Brown, Tanunda Lutheran School, SA
• Highly commended: Gabriella Hiscock, West Ryde Public School, NSW
• Highly commended: Vicki Siapantas, St. George College, SA
• Highly commended: David Kim, Strathfield South Public School, NSW

Grades 8-9 Category:

Entries received from students in Grades 8-9 not only addressed the importance of acting now on climate change, but also expressed concern over the increase of floods and bushfires and the damage to Australia's natural habitat if we don't do something about climate change now. The winners and finalists were:

• First Place: Michelle Aitkin. Michelle's artwork addressed the importance of her generation in spreading the word and taking action to address climate change. In her Shakespearean style sonnet, Michelle talks about the damage climate change has caused to the earth and calls for the older generation to listen and make a change "because our earth cannot be replaced."
• Second Place: Caelan Baldwin-Core, Bede Polding College, NSW
• Third place: Layla Pope, Santa Sabina College, NSW
• Highly commended: Gabrielle Shina, Santa Sabina College, NSW
• Highly commended: Kathleen Larnach, Kincoppal-Rose Bay School, School of the Sacred Heart, NSW
• Highly commended: Donna Bowden, Aviation High, QLD

Background on the Think Climate Think Change Schools Competition

• The competition ran from 28 April - 24 June 2009.
• Entry was open to primary school and secondary school students in grades 3 to 9 who attend schools in Australia.
• The prizes awarded for the competition are outlined below:

1st Place

• Trip for two (winner and parent/guardian) to Canberra including return airfares, 2 nights accommodation, the awards ceremony, a personalised tour of Parliament House, and 2 tickets to Questacon - the national science and technology centre
• Nintendo Wii Console, sports kit and Wii Fit pack
• $1000 Dymocks voucher for the winner's school

2nd Place

• 16GB Apple iPod touch

3rd Place

• 8GB Apple iPod Nano
• Highly commended (3 per category)
• $50 Dymocks book voucher