MORE than $17,000 in prizes have been awarded for wetland art and photography in the fifth annual Wetland Care Australia National Art and Photography Competition, recently unveiled at CSIRO Discovery.

At the Awards Night on February 1, more than 50 people attended, and winners came from as far as Tasmania to collect their prizes in person. In this year’s competition entries were received from every State and Territory, indicative of the growing concern for Australia’s wetlands.

The competition helps mark World Wetlands Day (February 2), a day of international significance which commemorates the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance some 40 years ago. The Ramsar Convention, to which Australia is a signatory, is an international treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Leticia Shiu won first prize of $1000, an art pack and a family accommodation package at the Ramada Hotel and Suites in Ballina NSW in the Wetland Care Australia Children’s Art category with her work “Summer Wetland”.

Bronte Jordan, first prize winner in the Central West Catchment Management Authority Youth Art category said of her work “wetlands – more than meets the eye” and that wetland areas “are not just what they appear to be at first glance. I wanted to encourage tourists to take a closer look”.

A total of 45 prizes were awarded to entrants from as far afield as Kakadu, Launceston, Perth and Bowen, as well as many places in between. The entries interpreted the theme in many different ways, photographing boating, bird watching, fishing, exploring and other activities.

The Wetland Art and Photography exhibition will be on display at CSIRO Discovery until February 19 and will then move on to regional locations. A gallery of the prize-winning works will be posted from March at www.wetlandcare.com.au