2026 theme: Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count
In Victoria, this year’s theme is “Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count”, highlighting 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.
Entries for the 2026 poster competition are now open!
We celebrate National Water Week each year by running a poster competition for young students within our service area.
This year, children from Kindergarten to Year 8 are invited 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, to ensure there is always water for all.
The mission: Inspire our community to reduce their water use and help save our precious water resources. Remember, every little drop counts!
For teachers and educators , this is a great activity for the classroom in the lead up to National Water Week. For parents, this is a fun and engaging activity to do with your child.
There are great prizes on offer for children and their school or kindergarten.
Entries must be uploaded to our dedicated National Water Week Poster competition website.
Important information:
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 on Wednesday, 9 September 2026.
- Winners will be announced at school assemblies and on our website during National Water Week, 19-25 October 2026.
Key Dates
- 1 May – poster competition open
- 9 September – poster competition closes
- 19-25 October – Winners announced during National Water Week
Age Categories
- 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)
Judging Criteria
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 conditions
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
Tips for uploading a poster:
- Please ensure you enter the correct competition category using your centre or school’s postcode
- Please ensure only high resolution, high quality images are submitted
- Image files should be in .JPG, .PDF or .PNG formats
- Uploaded files are limited to 20MB
- Original posters can either be scanned or photographed
- Up to 30 entries can be uploaded at a time (saving you time)
- 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
- if the photo is taken from a distance, crop the image so only the poster is visible (no background or surrounding surfaces).
Prizes:
Prizes - Early learning / Kindergarten
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)
Prizes - Primary School – Prep / G1-G2 / G3-G4 / G5-G6
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
Prizes - Secondary School student – Year 7-8 category
Individual entries ONLY accepted for Secondary School student – Year 7-8 category
- First place – $100 voucher
- Second place – $50 voucher
- Third place – $25 voucher
School prize – Local competition
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.
State level winners
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 2026 theme, Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count.
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.
Need some inspiration?
Watch a carousel of previous competition winners:
If you have any questions, please send an email to our Education Team at nww@westernportwater.com.au or call 1300 720 711
