CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OVERALL WINNER!
Entries now closed
Check out all of the winning entries here.
Whether you're at primary school, secondary school or just a big kid at heart, we encourage you to get your creative juices flowing!
Horizons Regional Council's creative arts competition celebrates nature’s contributions to people. Tell us how the environment contributes to your wellbeing in one of three ways. Click/tap the images below to learn more about them!
How to enter
All you need to do is upload an image of your artwork or photography, or a PDF of your story or poem, revealing how you feel the environment contributes to your wellbeing. Head further down the page and select the 'Enter now' tab to upload your creation!
The environment might connect you with your tīpuna (ancestors), be a source of kai, provide a place to explore and play, create opportunities to improve your fitness or teach you about the region's native flora and fauna, among other things.
Each category (artwork, photography, written word) is split into three age groups: 13 and under, 18 and under and Open (18+).
You're welcome to enter as a group/class if you want. Just write the name of your group/class as the entrant.
Entries close at 4.00 pm, Thursday, 5 September 2024.
What can you win?
Category winners and their schools will receive vouchers to spend on art and book supplies from local stores. Click/tap the age groups below to learn more about prizes.
In addition, all winners will have their artwork published in Horizons' upcoming State of the Environment report. An online public vote will select the overall winner, and their artwork will feature on the report's front cover.
Prizes on offer
Each category winner (artwork/photography/written word) will receive a $100 voucher to spend at a local art or book store of their choice, along with publication in Horizons' State of the Environment report . In addition, the category winner's school will receive a $100 voucher to spend on art or book supplies.
Each category winner (artwork/photography/written word) will receive a $100 voucher to spend at a local art or book store of their choice, along with publication in Horizons' State of the Environment report. In addition, the category winner's school will receive a $100 voucher to spend on art or book supplies.
Each category winner (artwork/photography/written word) will receive a $200 voucher to spend at a local art or book store of their choice, along with publication in Horizons' State of the Environment report.
The overall winner will be selected by an online public vote and receive a $300 voucher to spend at a local art or book store of their choice, along with publication of their entry on the front cover of Horizons' State of the Environment report.
Enter now
Background info and FAQs
Horizons Regional Council plays a key role in ensuring the sustainable use of our region’s natural resources and informing the public about the state of the Region's environment. This creative arts competition encourages our communities to tell us how nature contributes to their lives.
Horizons will share the creative insights we receive through this competition in our upcoming State of Environment report, highlighting the important role of te taiao (the environment) in people's wellbeing. This report, published every five years, uses information from Horizons' environmental monitoring programmes to report on the health of the Region's environment and its changes over time.
Our environment contributes to our wellbeing in many ways that we may not recognise and that deserve protection and enhancement. It has an intrinsic value independent of people, but we also value the many ways nature contributes to us. The environment provides us with more than resources – it supports our physical, mental, and emotional health, way of life, and cultural identities.
We encourage our communities to get their creative juices flowing and share with us how nature contributes to their wellbeing. For example, the environment might support your cultural identity or provide a place to play, explore, feel at peace or source kai.
If you are looking for inspiration, check out some examples we have put together of how nature can contribute to people.
Horizons Regional Council plays a key role in ensuring the sustainable use of the region’s natural resources. Under Section 35 of the Resource Management Act 1991, the council must produce a report illustrating the state of the region’s environment every five years, using our environmental monitoring results. This is known as our State of Environment report.
In 2019, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) recommended improvements to Aotearoa New Zealand’s environmental reporting. Horizons is committed to building a reporting framework that aligns with the PCE’s 2019 recommendations.
A key recommendation from the PCE is to more explicitly connect nature to people’s health and well-being in environmental reporting. This competition is an opportunity to gather creative insights on how nature contributes to the lives of people in our communities, which we will share in the report.
In addition, we hope this competition encourages people who might not otherwise engage with us to learn more about Horizons’ mahi, encouraging future participation in local decision-making and drawing attention to the critical messages we communicate, such as those released during Civil Defence responses.
Meaningful engagement with our communities is essential in achieving the community outcomes outlined in our 2024-34 Long-term plan, most notably, that our Region's communities are vibrant and empowered.
By informing and educating the public about the why and what of Horizons' mahi, we enable and empower a diverse range of communities to participate meaningfully in local decision-making and take action to benefit our collective wellbeing.
Our arts competition is more than just a creative outlet. It's a platform that fosters a sense of community and shared responsibility. By exploring our relationship with nature and expressing why we value the environment, participants contribute to a collective understanding of our interconnectedness with te taiao. We aim to spark an honest conversation about what we have, what we are at risk of losing, and where we can make changes. We hope this competition provides an engaging way for the people we serve to learn more about why Horizons works to ensure the sustainable use of the Region's natural resources.
The winning prizes are vouchers for local book and art stores, with vouchers also allocated to the schools of winning students in the under 18 categories. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to reinvest in our region and our local education providers.
In addition, winning artworks will feature in Horizons’ State of the Environment report. We hope the winning artworks will inspire and educate our community on the myriad of ways nature can influence our wellbeing.
One way that nature contributes to people is by inspiring artistic endeavours. That is why this is a community competition, rather than targeting professional artists and writers.
It is for anyone based in the Horizons region. To make sure it is fair, entries have been broken into age group categories.
Terms and conditions
The Horizons creative arts competition is open to the public until 4 pm, Thursday, 5 September. Entries must be uploaded to our website and include your email address and phone number (or the contact details for a parent/guardian).
By entering this competition you are giving Horizons permission to use your name and artwork for future publicity and promotional purposes.
Entrants must be based within the Horizons (Manawatū-Whanganui) Region and all photography should depict images or scenes from with the Horizons Region. Individuals can submit multiple entries.
Entry requirements
Artwork: Take a high-quality photo of your artwork and submit via haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz/artscompetition2024. Digital files should be JPG or PNG and of high quality (high quality mobile phone images are fine). Please keep your original artwork in a safe place should we reach out to you to publish or exhibit it.
Photography: Should depict images or scenes from within the Horizons Region. Submit via haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz/artscompetition2024. Digital files should be JPG or PNG and of high quality (high quality mobile phone images are fine).
Written word: Entries should be no more than 500 words in length. Submit as a PDF file via haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz/artscompetition2024.
All elements and content of a submission must be 100% the work of the entrant. For the avoidance of doubt, no element in the entry can be created by Artificial Intelligance (AI).
Horizons Regional Council staff members are not eligible for this competition.
Winning entries will be judged by a panel to be determined, and the winners will be notified by 19 September 2024. The winning entry for each category will then be put forward for a public vote to determine an overall winner. No correspondence will be entered into following the selection of category winners. Prizes will include vouchers for art, photography, and book stores based within the Horizons Region. Prize(s) cannot be exchanged for cash.
