Organizers of Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) are pleased to announce the launch of the Harper’s School Arts Competition for 2023 under the theme “Society, Coral reefs, the Sea and You”.
The annual art competition was established to connect school-aged Antiguans & Barbudans to Antigua Sailing Week and aims to inspire them to be creative while discovering how various aspects of marine, the environment and even the economy are related to the event.
This is the fifth year that Harper’s Office Depot has presented the growing competition and Managing Director Roy Bento has this to say, “Our family of companies have supported Antigua Sailing Week in various ways for many years. And now, having the brand of Harper’s Office Depot build exposure to the next generation while fulfilling a corporate social community goal is a winning formula.”
One of the unique aspects of participating in Antigua & Barbuda regattas such as ASW is the inviting irresistible Caribbean Sea & the Atlantic Ocean. Below the surface of these breathtaking blue waters lies a network of corals known as reefs that help maintain the health of the sea. Unfortunately, Antigua & Barbuda’s coral reefs are in serious danger, as the islands have experienced major degradation of their coral reef ecosystems over the past 40 years and it continues to be destroyed at an alarming rate.
Last year’s winning poster design – Summer Goodwin of Christ the King High School
Students are being asked to create artwork that portrays relationships between society, coral reefs, and themselves using personal research, which will promote public awareness of the need to urgently preserve, protect, and restore the island’s reefs. The final artwork should be able to inspire young citizens to conserve and protect coral reefs by changing their habits to slow the destruction of these ecosystems.“Teachers and parents can take this opportunity to dialogue with children about how the destruction is related to human activities and how we can modify our behaviour to counter these threats. For example, I can save the coral reefs by using reef-friendly products, conserving water to reduce my wastewater which ends up in the sea, avoiding plastic straws, and by being a more responsible citizen, and then most importantly, by educating the youth in our community,” says Rana-Jamila Lewis, Marketing Manager. Students can create in their medium of choice however the submissions must be converted to a digital format for judging. Keeping in step with the multimedia age a new submission option for 2023 allows students to produce a short 60sec video to express their ideas. The complete theme and rules can be found on our website – https://sailingweek.com/schoolart/. The deadline for submissions is March 29, 2023. The artwork will be available for people’s choice voting on the ASW School Art Facebook from April 3 – 6. Winners of all categories will be announced on April 7. Submissions will be judged by three age categories 5 – 8, 9 – 12 and 13 – 18. The winners will all receive a host of prizes from title sponsor Harper’s Office Depot and other supporting businesses during Dockyard Day on May 6. As a bonus and recognition of their dedication, the teacher of the highest achieving student will win 2 tickets to an ASW spectator activity of their choice – Reggae in the Park or Chase the Race. The winning entry will be reproduced as a poster placed as a welcome sign outside Cobbs Cross Primary School.Schools interested in participating can reach out to the coordinator Ms Ryan at dee@sailingweek.com to receive briefing information.