Layla Phin, an 11-year old pupil at Wester Cleddens Primary School, has come top of over 250 entries to Amy Callaghan MP’s Eco-Superhero Poster Competition.
Ms Callaghan congratulated Layla on a “creative and inspiring poster”, and said she was “blown away” by the level of engagement from local children. The Eco-Superhero Poster Competition was inspired by last year’s climate conference in Glasgow, COP26, where schools were encouraged to build on the legacy of the conference by engaging young people in issues around climate change.
The competition, launched in September, asked children to design a poster with an original superhero to help raise awareness of environmental issues. Children were provided with a worksheet and questionnaire to help them design their posters, and teachers were advised that the task could be used to prompt discussions around COP26, climate change, and the extinction crisis facing species across the planet.
Learning for sustainability is a key part of the national curriculum, with pupils encouraged to learn about how to build a socially-just, sustainable and equitable society. This is in line with The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which Education Scotland has said are ‘central to Scotland’s national vision’.
Three winners were announced in total, with Emily Walker coming top of the younger age group, Emma Zhao winning the older age group, and Layla Phin announced as the overall winner.
The three winners have now been invited to design Ms Callaghan’s official Christmas card.
Commenting, Amy Callaghan MP said:
“A massive congratulations to our three winners, Layla, Emily, and Emma. It was an unbelievably difficult job narrowing it down to just three.
“We have talented young people in East Dunbartonshire.
“I launched this competition because the environmental crisis is the single biggest issue facing us all, and it will disproportionately impact children. It is our younger generations that will be alive to see the most dramatic impacts of our use of fossil fuels.
“That is why it’s so important to provide children with the opportunity to discuss these issues. This is what the poster competition has done, and I was blown away by the level of engagement. It’s been widely reported that the climate crisis is the highest priority for young people, but even so, to receive over 250 entries goes well beyond my expectations.
“I hope this has prompted some lively discussions in class and that teachers found the competition useful to engage their pupils in this important issue.
“It was great that we had COP26 in Glasgow last year, but the important thing is what we do after the conference. It is that legacy that the competition is building on.”