Young people will again have the chance to explore science through art! Building on from last year’s success of scienceXart, the Australian Academy of Science is this year giving primary school students the chance to put thought into their food and create a plate, learning about the science of nutrition along the way.
In celebration of the United Nations International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, the 2021 competition theme is ‘scienceXart: food for thought’. This art competition calls on primary school students to design a plate of food and get inspired to sink their teeth into the science of what they eat.
scienceXart is hosted by the expert members of the Academy’s National Committee for Nutrition and supported by Dieticians Australia, an organisation of over 7500 dietetic and nutrition professions striving to build healthier communities. Together they aim to highlight the inherent creativity of the nutrition sciences to young people. The competition has been created in consultation with the Academy's education team.
scienceXart: food for thought is open to primary school students studying in Australia, with submissions made using photos of the creative works.
The challenge is to design a plate of food that tells a story. It could be a story about the nutritional value of the meal, how the food on the plate was grown or created, or simply fun ways to consume fruit and vegetables.
Students can create the plate however they want, from a drawing to craft supplies or even with real foods, fruits and vegetables! The possibilities are endless. Once they’ve created their plate, students write a description in 100 words or less about the science behind their plate and the story it tells. Then, snap a picture and submit the photo to the competition website for the chance to win an awesome prize pack for their entire class.
Not only will students get to the opportunity to think about our food and flex their creative muscles, but they’ll also be celebrating the United Nations International Year of Fruits and Vegetables with others around the world.
The competition is great for learning in the classroom or at home and has been designed to align with Australian curriculum learning outcomes. There are also activity plans for all age groups to integrate the competition into the classroom.
Find out more about the challenge, the prizes, and how to get involved at scienceXart: food for thought.
The ‘scienceXart: spot the maths’ competition in 2020 received nearly 1000 amazing entries from school students across Australia, where students ‘spotted the maths’ in their everyday lives. See a gallery of the 2020 scienceXart winners.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
