Different places have different ways of declaring that the festive season is approaching.

In Iceland, books are exchanged in the lead-up to Christmas Eve, while Czechia celebrates Mikulas Day on 5 December with St Nicholas roaming towns and villages leaving little presents for children.

NSW public schools, meanwhile, have the Minister’s Christmas card competition, a yearly event where the Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, invites students from Kindergarten to Year 6 to design the artwork for her Christmas card.

“There is so much talent in our public schools, I am looking forward to seeing what our students create, although it is going to be difficult to select only three,” Minister Car said.

The theme this year is ‘My special Christmas memory’ and the three winning artists will have their artwork featured on the Minister’s 2024 Christmas card, receive a book pack and 20 copies of their card for their own use.

Runners-up will have their artwork featured on cards for Education Secretary Murat Dizdar and the Deputy Secretaries of the NSW Department of Education.

The competition closes 18 October 2024.

Competition guidelines

• Kindergarten to Year 6 students who attend a NSW public school are eligible to participate.

• Only one entry per student will be accepted.
  

• Schools are to submit the artwork entries on behalf of their students by email to mcc@det.nsw.edu.au.

• Please name saved artwork files in the format of schoolname-firstname-lastname-grade.png, i.e. Christmas-PS-Santa-Claus-Year3.png.
  

• Each artwork entry must include the student’s full name, grade and school name.

• Artworks may be created using any medium but are to be no larger than 21cm x 30cm (A4).
  

• The artworks may be in portrait or landscape format.

Key dates

Submit artwork to mcc@det.nsw.edu.au by 5pm on 18 October 2024.

Winning artists will be notified by 1 November 2024 and will need to complete a Permission to Publish form.