National Water Week Poster Competition 2025

The National Water Week Poster Competition is back for 2025, and we’re inviting all preschool and primary school students as well as individual artists, in our region to take part!

This year’s exciting theme is “Water Heroes: Save Every Drop,” encouraging students to explore the importance of water conservation through art.

Whether it’s painting, drawing, or designing, this is a fun and creative way for young minds to express how we can all protect our most precious resource — water.

The competition not only promotes awareness, but also empowers students to become true Water Heroes in their communities.

Great individual prizes are up for grabs!

  • Fantastic individual prizes for standout entries
  • A $250 educational gift pack for one lucky participating school

It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate National Water Week and inspire positive change for the future of our water supply.

The competition is open now!

NWW Poster Comp Banner

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.

Tips for uploading a poster

  • Poster size must be A4 or A3
  • Please ensure only high-resolution, high-quality images are submitted.
  • Image files should be in .JPG or .PNG formats.
  • Uploaded files are limited to 20MB.
  • Original posters can either be scanned or photographed.
  • Please contact us if you would prefer to send hard copies into our office: communications@coliban.com.au
  • If taking a photo, please ensure the image is clear and not blurred. Think about:
    • Good lighting.
    • Ensuring the poster fills the entire screen. An overhead shot is often best as you are standing above the poster, looking down.
  • Avoid using your flash as it makes a glary photo.

Judging

Winners will be chosen using the following criteria:

  • How well the poster communicates relevant water-related issues.
  • How well your poster reflects this year’s theme, 'Water Heroes: Save Every Drop.'
  • Whether the poster uses innovative imagery, design or concepts.
  • Whether art materials have been used effectively.
  • How attractive it looks from a distance.

Our better than ever prizes!

Student prizes:

1st place – a water, sustainability or culture-themed book, an art gift set, a framed copy of your incredible poster and some awesome Coliban Water merchandise.

2nd place – an art gift set, a framed copy of your incredible poster and some awesome Coliban Water merchandise

3rd place – a framed copy of your incredible poster and some awesome Coliban Water merchandise

All students who enter will receive a participation certificate.

Remember, 1st place category winners go through to the state competition where you could win up to $100!

School prize:

All participating preschools and primary schools will enter the draw to win $250 gift pack filled with various educational materials.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Meerman
Email: communications@coliban.com.au

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY open in new window

Book Resources

To help celebrate National Water Week in classrooms across our region, we've curated a selection of our favourite water-themed picture books. With beautiful illustrations and stories, these books are sure to inspire and help children understand the natural water cycle and the importance of water in all its forms.

  • Earth Verse.
    Haiku from the Ground Up
    By Sally M. Walker

    A stunning combination of haiku and impressionistic but accurate art encourages readers to think playfully about our planet and its wondrous processes.

  • The Rhythm Of The Rain
    By Grahame Baker-Smith

    From tiniest raindrop to deepest ocean, this breathtaking celebration of the water cycle captures the remarkable movement of water across the earth in all its majesty. A stunning new non-fiction picture book from Greenaway medal-winner, Grahame Baker-Smith.

  • Wilam: A Birrarung Story
    By Aunty Joy and Andrew Kelly

    As ngua rises, Bunjil soars over mountain ash, flying higher and higher as the wind warms. Below, Birrarung begins its long winding path down to palem warreen.

  • Water Is Water
    By Miranda Paul

    This spare, poetic picture book follows a group of kids as they move through all the different phases of the water cycle. From rain to fog to snow to mist, talented author Miranda Paul and the always remarkable Jason Chin combine to create a beautiful and informative journey in this innovative nonfiction picture book that will leave you thirsty for more.

  • When water lost her way
    By Meg Humphreys

    Lost in her ever-changing forms, 'Water' questions who she is after an encounter with a creature in an underground cave. Water seeks all parts of her cycle for answers, which makes her feel overwhelmed and confused. However, 'an old' tree helps her to understand her place in the world and her many interconnections with all living and non-living things.

  • You and Me Murrawee
    By Kerri Hashimi

    In this lyrical, beautifully observed story, a young girl camps by the river with her family. Through her eyes, we see life as it would have been two hundred years ago.
    Murrawee is friend and guide as we experience the rhythms of one day and become strikingly aware of what can be gained, simply by listening and sharing.

Video Resources

We’ve chosen a range of videos suitable for use in a learning environment. They'll help kids increase their comprehension of water and will provide inspiration to further develop our junior water heroes!

  • The Rhythm Of The Rain (Read Aloud)

    In this video, Lissie reads The Rhythm Of The Rain, by Graheme Baker-Smith, the breathtaking story celebrating the water cycle and the remarkable movement of water across the earth in all its majesty.


    Watch the video here 

  • Every Little Drop!

    Every little drop....winner of the international Songwriting Competition for best children's song, performed by dirtgirl form dirtgirlworld.

    Watch the video here 

  • Water Cycle Yoga

    In this video, children are invited to go on a yoga adventure with Victoria and the water cycle. An opportunity for children to shake out their sillies, get their Zen on, and learn about the water cycle.

    Watch the video here