Wicklow Pupils Win Big In The Codling Wind Park Art Competition.

Details of the winners were announced today to mark Global Wind Day.

Over 500 entries were received for Codling Wind Park’s second annual renewable energy art competition – with the talented winners coming from three different schools in Wicklow town and Delgany.

Details of the winners were announced today to mark Global Wind Day – a day dedicated to celebrating the possibilities and opportunities offered by wind as a clean, green renewable energy source.

The aims of the competition were to encourage children to learn, understand and ask questions about climate change and the important role wind energy has to play in addressing it, while also having fun.

Details were sent to 28 primary schools within the Greystones and Wicklow municipal districts, with the competition open to children in all classes. There were two categories: juniors - junior infants to second class; and seniors - third to sixth class.

The number and standard of entries exceeded all expectations, as Liz Dillon, Community Liaison Officer for the Codling Wind Park project, explained:

“We have been utterly blown away by the creative quality of the artwork submitted, highlighting the immense talent we have in our schools.

“Climate change can be a difficult concept for children to get their heads around, but when it’s presented to them in a fun and engaging way it’s amazing how well they understand it. You could see clearly in the entries how well they connect the challenge with the solution that wind energy represents.

“Wicklow is going to be at the forefront of offshore wind in Ireland and, for Codling Wind Park, it’s important that we give young people in the area the opportunity to be part of the journey with us.”

The winners of the junior competition were:

• 1st: Ava from Delgany NS
• 2nd: Beth from Glebe NS, Wicklow Town
• 3rd: Alexander from Delgany NS

The winners of the senior competition were:

• 1st: Megan from Glebe NS, Wicklow Town
• 2nd: Tia from Wicklow Educate Together NS, Wicklow Town
• 3rd: Daniel from Delgany NS

The prize for first place was a €100 voucher for either Art and Hobby Greystones or Hopkins Toymaster in Wicklow Town, with second and third places receiving a €50 and a €30 voucher respectively.

In addition to the individual prizes, every school that entered the competition was entered into a draw for a special School Prize of an iPad or a €500 voucher for assisted IT equipment for the school.

St Catherine’s Special School in Newcastle was the lucky winner of this prize and will be taking €500 worth of IT equipment.

Codling Wind Park would like to thank everyone who took part in the competition, as well as Lisa-Anne Crookes of Wind Energy Ireland, who once again, had the challenging task of judging the entries and selecting the winners.

Pictured at the top of the article are the students of Delgany NS, and pictured below are the students of St. Catherine's and The Glebe NS:

To find out more about the Codling Wind Park project and the contribution it will make to Ireland’s renewable energy targets, please visit www.codlingwindpark.ie.