Water Heroes Wanted: 2026 National Water Week Poster Competition Now Open

Yarra Valley Water has opened entries for the 2026 National Water Week poster competition, inviting preschools and schools across its service area to get creative around this year’s theme, Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count.

Students from Melbourne’s north and east are encouraged to design a poster that showcases how we can all be water heroes in our everyday lives and make every drop count.

Category winners will be announced in October and automatically progress to the statewide competition, with state winners revealed during National Water Week from 19–25 October 2026.

Yarra Valley Water General Manager Strategy and Community, Ms Tiffany White, said the competition is a fun and meaningful way for children to learn about where water comes from and why it’s vital to use it wisely.

“The poster competition gives students and teachers a hands-on way to explore the value of water and the simple actions we can all take to use it wisely,” Ms White said.

“It’s a great way to build lifelong water saving habits while encouraging creativity. We love seeing how students bring the theme to life in their posters and knowing they’re developing great water saving habits along the way.”

The competition is open to all Victorian preschools and schools with prizes for individuals and schools across the following categories:

Preschool (individual and collaborative entries)
Foundation (individual entries)
Years 1–2 (individual entries)
Years 3–4 (individual entries)
Years 5–6 (individual entries)
Year 7-8 (individual entries)

Posters can be created using drawing, painting, mixed materials or digital tools, and must be submitted in A3 or A4 size.

Entries close at 5pm on 9 September 2026. Prizes include:

1st prize – $150 Dymocks gift card
2nd prize – $100 Dymocks gift card
3rd prize – $50 Dymocks gift card

An additional $500 gift card will be awarded to a randomly selected school or preschool with a valid entry.

Judges will assess entries based on:

How well the poster communicates the theme, Water Heroes: Make Every Drop Count.
Visual impact from a distance.
Effective use of art materials.
Creativity, innovation and originality in imagery, design or concept.

Teachers and students can access ready to use resources on the National Water Week website including background information, discussion prompts, and activity ideas.

For full details on categories, prizes and how to enter, visit: www.nationalwaterweek.com.au.

Poster Competition Terms and Conditions include: By submitting the entry form, entrants will assign a limited copyright of the image to the competition organisers enabling reproduction of the image for public displays and publications (both printed and digital) in conjunction with the competition AND for the purpose of publication in printed and digital material promoting water, including National Water Week in subsequent years. Artists will be credited whenever the posters are used. Entries from students under the age of 18 must have adult consent.

Yarra Valley Water is one of Australia’s largest water utilities, with a service area covering 4,000 square kilometres. Every day, more than 2 million people and over 62,000 businesses rely on its water and sewerage services. The corporation manages $6.3 billion worth of infrastructure, including a network of over 21,500 kilometres of water, recycled water and sewer mains. Yarra Valley Water’s purpose is to support the health and wellbeing of its customers and create a brighter future for communities and the natural environment.

INDEPENDENT NEWS IS IMPORTANT.

Enjoy reading Eco Voice? Please help us by purchasing a GIFT Voucher or send one to a friend and encourage people to purchase trees or seeds via The Native Shop – www.nativeshop.com.au