Sustainable Steps Poster Competition Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions

1. This competition is open only to children from preschool through to year 6 at the time of
   application who attend ACT schools or are homeschooled and live in the ACT.
2. The school grade level of the applicants must be clearly stated on the application form.
3. Every artwork must be accompanied by a completed application form with the parent/guardian’s full name, email address, phone number, relationship to child, child’s school, the child’s name and school grade level and agreement to the terms and conditions of the competition. For co-created artworks submitted under the supported artwork category, all child contributors must have parent/guardian information provided.
4. Artworks which are not accompanied by a complete application form, signed by parent/guardian/s accepting the terms and conditions, will be considered invalid.
5. By submitting artwork and the application form to this competition, you (the parent/guardian) are agreeing to be contacted by ACT Government for the purpose of this competition.
6. All artwork must be received by ACT Government either via ACT Libraries, delivered to ACT Government Dickson Office building at 480 Northbourne Ave Dickson, or arrive by post at GPO Box 158 Canberra ACT 2601 by 13 October 2026.
7. Artwork should encourage the audience to undertake simple sustainability action against one of
   the following themes: save energy or water, protect our local waterways or biodiversity, keep food
   waste out of landfill, consume less, reduce emissions or participate in active travel.
8. The artwork must be submitted on A4 or A3 paper or cardboard.
9. The artwork must include the creator’s first name and school grade level.
10. Artwork submitted in any other format will be considered invalid.
11. Artwork may be displayed at the Climate Choice Schools Award 2026 and other locations across Canberra.
12. Only one Entry per child can be submitted.
13. For school grade categories, artwork must be created by one child only. Co-created artworks under these categories will be deemed ineligible.
14. The supported artwork category recognises students from preschool through to year 6 who may benefit from extensive additional support to participate in the competition. Entries can be created with guidance or assistance from teachers, support staff or peers, supporting inclusive participation. For this reason, artworks entered under the supported artwork category may be co-created.
15. Submitted artwork must be the child’s original creation.
16. Children of the judges panel or immediate family members of the judges panel are not eligible to enter the competition.
17. Artwork can be in pencil, crayon, paint, mixed media, or a digitally created artwork.
18. ACT Government assumes no responsibility for lost, stolen, delayed, damaged, illegible, incomplete, postage-delayed, or misdirected artworks.
19. ACT Government assumes no responsibility for any problems, damage, or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer, servers, access providers, computer equipment software, or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website, related to downloading any material in the competition.
20. ACT Government reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of this competition at its discretion. Any changes to these terms and conditions will be published on the ACT Government Everyday Climate Choices website.
21. ACT Government will not be responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information concerning the competition or for any technical errors that occur during the administration of the competition.
22. By entering this competition, the parent/guardian of the applicant agrees that ACT Government, and other groups supporting the competition, are not liable for any loss or damage of any kind to the applicant.

Judging of Entries and Award of Prizes

1. Five winners will be selected by the competition panel (the panel).
2. All artwork will be judged by the panel, at the panels’ discretion, against three criteria:
   1. Quality of the artwork;
   2. Creativity of the artwork; and,
   3. How well the artwork encourages simple sustainability action to be undertaken by the audience.
3. Artwork will be judged within the category nominated on the application form. The four school grade categories are for individual entries only: preschool and kindergarten; Years 1 and 2; Years 3 and 4; Years 5 and 6. Co-created entries are acceptable under the supported artwork category.
4. One winner will be selected by the panel from each school grade category.
5. The supported artwork category may be awarded to a winning group.
6. The parent/guardian of the winners will be notified by 20 November 2026 via email and follow up phone call.
7. All artworks will be returned to applicants’ schools after the Climate Choices Schools Awards on 8 December 2026.The panel will be appointed by the Organiser and be made up of representatives from ACT Government.
8. ACT Government reserves the right to verify the authenticity of applications and compliance with the competition rules. The parent/guardian of the applicant must respond to any request for further information within one week. If the parent/guardian of the applicant fails to provide evidence or ACT Government determines, in its sole discretion, that there is insufficient evidence to confirm that the application complies with the Competition rules, then the Entry will be removed from the Competition and no further correspondence will be entered into.
9. The panel’s decision is final and without appeal in all matters regarding this Competition.
10. The Competition winners will each receive a book. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash.
11. In the case of an ineligible Entry being chosen as a winner, the next best chosen by the panel will be selected, and the applicant’s parent/guardian will be contacted via email or telephone.
12. In the event the winner is unable to attend the Climate Choices Schools Awards on 8 December 2026, ACT Government will arrange with the applicant’s parent/guardian for the collection of the prize and return of the artwork.
13. ACT Government is not responsible for arranging or paying for any additional or ancillary costs associated with the prize.
14. In the event that the prize is unavailable or cancelled for any reason whatsoever, ACT Government reserves the right to substitute an alternative prize.
15. ACT Government shall not be liable for any loss suffered or sustained in connection with the prize, except for liability which cannot be excluded by law.

Copyright and rights of usage

By entering the competition, the applicant’s parent/guardian confirms that:

1. The entered artwork is the applicant’s original work and has not been published for any commercial gain and that they are the sole owners of copyright, other than those possessed in the design by ACT Government. ACT Government is not responsible for any violation of third-party rights in the work.
2. They consent to having the child’s first name, school grade level and their artwork appear online, printed and/or produced by ACT Government without further notice or compensation.
3. Unless otherwise stated, they grant ACT Government a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable licence (including a right to sublicence) to reproduce, amend crop, edit, enlarge, publish or exhibit the artwork and/or caption text in exhibitions, in publications, on websites and social media for the purposes of the competition and in use in other areas of ACT Government. When doing so, ACT Government will credit the artist where possible. Failure to publish a credit due to error, oversight, or the submission containing incorrect or wrong details will not be deemed a breach.
4. The ACT Government logo may be added to the final artwork and is not required to be added by the applicant.

Privacy

1. The collection of this information is necessary to allow CED to contact you if the entry is a winning entry. Personal Information may be used or disclosed in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2014. The personal information you provide may be disclosed to other ACT Government directorates, and third parties external to the ACT Government, as permitted or required by legislation. The Privacy Statement contains information about what information CED collects and to whom it is disclosed. The privacy statement also contains information about how you may access or seek to correct your personal information held by CED, and how you may complain about an alleged breach of the Territory Privacy Principles.
2. The Directorate’s Privacy Policy is available online at Privacy - Climate Choices (act.gov.au).

If you have any questions, please email sustainableschoolsprogram@act.gov.au