THREE Cairns high school students have been recognised for their outstanding artistic talent, being chosen out of the hundreds of students across the state to receive a Creative Generation Excellence Award in Visual Art.
Cairns State High School students Phuong Le and Imogen Loukas along with Trinity Bay High School Student Dante Brim all got excellence awards alongside 34 other students which will be exhibited at the prestigious Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane from 27 April to 25 August 2024.
The winning students’ works were selected from 459 submissions from 177 schools across the state.
Minister for Education Grace Grace said the the quality of works this year was a testament to the exceptional artistic abilities of Queensland’s secondary school students.
“These awards celebrate not only the students themselves but also the importance of nurturing artistic talent in Queensland schools and celebrating our dedicated visual art teachers,” she said.
“The works also reveal some of the issues and topics young Queenslanders are thinking about including environmental and social problems, cultural identity, health and wellbeing, technology and relationships.
“The opportunity to have work shown in QAGOMA is once-in-a-lifetime for these aspiring young artists.”
Four schools have also claimed two Excellence Awards each, Cairns State High School, Corinda State High School, The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James (Mundingburra), and Fairholme College (Toowoomba).
One student from each region also received a regional encouragement award and 104 students from across Queensland received Commendation awards.
The annual awards program recognises and promotes excellence in senior visual art education at state and non-state schools.
In 2024, the program will celebrate 30 years of exhibiting with program partner, QAGOMA.
Keep up with the latest news in Cairns and the Far North, and check out some of our top stories this week: Cairns hospital showcases progress in symposium and Plans to lift home ownership levels.