2026 National Water Week poster competition

2026 poster competition theme: Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count

This year’s poster competition theme, ‘Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count’, highlights the important role we can all play in using water wisely and protecting our water resources.

As our climate becomes hotter and drier, and demand for water increases, it’s more important than ever to use water wisely.

This year’s theme encourages students to see themselves as everyday heroes – people who make small, positive choices that add up to big impacts. Whether it’s turning off the tap, having short showers, or spreading awareness, every action helps.

By becoming Water Heroes, students can lead by example and inspire their families, schools, and communities to value and conserve every drop.

Students can digitally design, draw or paint a poster that demonstrates the changes they can make to ensure there is always water for all.

Your mission:

Create a poster that inspires our community to reduce their water use and help save our precious water resources. Remember, every little drop counts! 

Entries for the 2026 poster competition are now open!

To celebrate National Water Week, children from Kindergarten to Year 8 are encouraged to design, draw or paint an A3 poster that demonstrates how we can all be Water Heroes, saving water at home, in the garden and at school!

Entries must be uploaded to our dedicated National Water Week Poster competition website. Enter now!

  • 1 May – poster competition open
  • 9 September – poster competition closes
  • 19-25 October – Winners announced during National Water Week
  • 4-year-old Kindergarten  (BOTH individual entries and collaborative class entries will be accepted)
  • Foundation/Prep  (individual entries ONLY accepted)
  • Years 1-2  (individual entries ONLY accepted)
  • Years 3-4  (individual entries ONLY accepted)
  • Years 5-6  (individual entries ONLY accepted)
  • Year 7-8  (individual entries ONLY accepted)

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

IMPORTANT:

  • Entries MUST be the original work of the child/student(s)
  • AI-generated artwork will NOT be accepted

Entry requirement

  • 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 requirement

  • 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

Individual and collaborative entries accepted for Early learning / Kindergarten  category

  • First place – $100 voucher  (both individual and collaborative)
  • Second place – $50 voucher  (both individual and collaborative)
  • Third place – $25 voucher  (both individual and collaborative)

Individual entries ONLY accepted for Primary School – Prep / G1-G2 / G3-G4 / G5-G6

  • First place – $100 voucher
  • Second place – $50 voucher
  • Third place – $25 voucher

Individual entries ONLY accepted for Secondary School student – Year 7-8  category

  • First place – $100 voucher
  • Second place – $50 voucher
  • Third place – $25 voucher

All participating schools and kindergartens will be entered into a random draw to win $1,000 for a sustainability project, purchase of water efficient products or educational materials.

First-prize winners in each category advance to the state level of the competition, for the chance to win more prizes!

Educator’s guide and activities: Inspire your students to become water heroes

To help introduce this year’s National Water Week theme to children/students, we’ve created an Educator’s Guide. Designed to support learning in both early childhood and primary classrooms, this resource includes background information, discussion prompts, and activity ideas — all aligned with the 2025 theme, Water Heroes: Save Every Drop.

Whether you’re kicking off a water unit or supporting students in creating their posters, these resources will make it easy to bring the message of water conservation into your classroom in a fun, engaging and meaningful way.

How to enter

It’s easier than ever to enter! Simply upload your posters to our online portal.

PLEASE NOTE: 

  • Entries MUST be submitted via our dedicated NWW web portal (Please do not mail or drop off physical posters to the Westernport Water office)
  • Entries close at 5 pm Friday 12 September 2025.
  • Winners will be announced at school assemblies and on our website during National Water Week, 20-26 October 2025.

Tips for uploading a poster

  • Please ensure only high resolution, high quality images are submitted
  • Image files must be in .JPG, .PDF or .PNG formats only
  • Uploaded files are limited to 20MB
  • Original posters can either be scanned or photographed
  • Remember if taking a photo, please ensure a clear, non-blurred image is taken.  Keep these tips in mind:
    • ensure good lighting to avoid shadows
    • make sure the poster fills the entire screen – an overhead shot, taken directly above the poster, is often the best option
    • ensure the photo matches the orientation of the poster – if the poster is in landscape format, take the photo horizontally. If it’s in portrait format, take the photo vertically
    • avoid using flash, as it can cause glare
Submit your poster entries here

If you have any questions, please send an email to our Education Team at communications@westernportwater.com.au  or call 1300 720 711