Nourishing Minds Competition closing soon!
May 23, 2024
Nearly time to get in your competition entries!
Hot tips to finalise entries
Competition closes 14 June 2024
In an era where global challenges like food and nutrition security demand innovative solutions, educators are turning to resources that foster critical thinking and empower students to become change-makers in their communities and beyond. Among these resources are The Crawford Fund “Development for a Better Future” materials and our student-centred learning materials which focus on engaging students in addressing pressing food and nutrition security issues.
With the Nourishing Minds Competition closing on 14 June 2024, now is the perfect time to check out the competition background info.
While the teaching materials provide an opportunity for students to develop videos, blogs, essays, PowerPoints, ‘how to’ guides, field reports and social media campaigns, competition entries will be in the form of a short video.
We hope to get lots of entries of videos produced as part of using our materials, or a video about the work and learnings from using them.
We don’t expect students to be Steven Spielberg to enter the competition! It’s about what ideas or solutions they develop on the food and nutrition security issue on which they have been working. Each entry will be individually judged by a panel, based on its message, the evident understanding of the issue being addressed and the appropriateness of the suggested solution.
The Crawford Fund will then publicise video submissions on our website and social media platforms, and share them with some of our partners to highlight the work of students and schools and their suggested solutions.
A Few Video Ideas:
In recent webinars and workshops led by our Education Specialist Heather MacDonald, educators have been sharing some of the innovative ideas proposed by their students. We are excitedly hoping to see these ideas submitted as entries in the coming weeks. Here are a few highlights that teachers have told us their students are working on:
- Gender-Sensitive Agricultural Education: Creating educational programs that encourage young girls to pursue careers in agriculture.
- Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems: Designing prototypes of solar-powered irrigation systems to help farmers in drought-prone areas in Australia and the Pacific regions.
- Innovations for Salt-Prone Areas: Developing solutions to help Pacific neighbours produce food in areas affected by rising sea levels.
- Media Campaign on Food and Nutrition Security: Launching a media campaign to raise awareness of food and nutrition security in the Asia-Pacific region, targeting audiences in Australia and Pacific neighbours.
Some Tips:
Utilise Crawford Fund Teaching Materials to develop innovative ideas or projects addressing sustainable agriculture, food waste reduction, climate-smart technologies, or gender dimensions in food security. The ideas above may help!
- Form a Team if you can: Collaborate with up to four classmates to maximise your ideas and skills.
- Choose Your Project: Identify a passion within food and nutrition security and propose an innovative solution addressing one of the Secondary School Resources.
- Create an Entry: Craft a compelling 2–3 minute video presenting your project plan and its potential impact or a video about the work and learnings from the materials.
- Submit Your Entry: Send your video to [email protected] by June 14, along with your team’s details.
Judging Criteria
Entries will be evaluated based on innovation, feasibility, impact, and presentation. Let your creativity shine!
Closing Date
The closing date for the Nourishing Minds Competition is fast approaching on 14 June 2024. With a total prize pool of $2,500, including a special encouragement award, this is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their ideas and solutions.
For more information and to submit your entry, check the background info, or email queries to [email protected]
Thanks to ACIAR
Supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, this initiative is part of the Crawford Fund’s NextGen program, encouraging students to pursue studies and careers in food and nutrition security.
