The competition was aimed at raising awareness for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through creativity. Some of these goals include no poverty, climate action, good health and wellbeing, gender equality.
“I included all the goals and arranged them strategically throughout my artwork. For example, I placed Goal 4. Quality Education in the brain of the pelican," Greek Australian participant and winner of the competition, Hristina Tsingas told SBS Greek.
The goals are part of a plan to build a better world by 2030. “The main focus of my artwork is the pelican, which is the totem symbol of social responsibility. With our oceans and land being vulnerable to the ever-increasing plastic pollution, as well as the current climate change emergency we are facing, social responsibility has never been more crucial. As a community, it is our duty to ensure that future generations can continue to live on a clean and sustainable planet”, Ms. Tsingas says.
The young artist was born in Greece and grew up in Melbourne where she currently resides. While visiting her hometown in northern Greece's town of Serres, she remembers seeing pelicans for the first time at Lake Kerkini. The lake is situated along the flyway for birds en route to the Aegean Sea, the Balkan region, the Black Sea, the Hungarian steppes, and beyond it experiences an interesting migration.
This memory inspired her to make the pelican the centrepiece of her artwork. “Many can draw but it’s the idea that makes the difference”, Ms. Tsingas states. 
This award further solidified that she is on the right path, as she recently created her own company which designs quality prints and cards. Ms. Tsingas contributes 50% of the proceeds from the pelican print to support the United Nations. The intent of her company is to promote a sustainable and plastic-free environment.
Hristina Tsinga's 'The Perpetual Pelican'. Source: SBS Greek/Panos Apostolou
Her innate love for nature and the planet has played a large role in her art and activism. “Our environment is all we have. We must nurture our world with commitment, respect, and love”.
Ms. Tsingas says this award further inspired her to continue taking action in the fight for environmental sustainability. Now is the time, what are we waiting for?
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