Members of the public have been invited to cast their vote in a high school competition featuring creative installations and augmented reality.
People can vote for six installations created by students as part of the Sunshine Arts Fest arts and AR competition at Sunshine Plaza.
The displays, which are at various locations in the plaza, represent the schools’ interpretation of the competition’s theme, Let the Sunshine In.
They include physical displays as well as the use of AR technology, using the viewer’s mobile device to bring the installations to life.
Caloundra State High School, Pacific Lutheran College, Kawana Waters State College, Montessori International College, St Andrew’s Anglican College and Sunshine Coast Grammar School were selected from 18 local high schools who applied for a chance to claim their share in the competition’s $5000 prize pool earlier this year.
Participating schools were given three months to create their installations with two free workshops from festival artist ambassador Sarah Sculley.
Members of the public are invited to visit the installations until July 17, experience the AR following the simple steps outlined at each installation, and to cast their vote by downloading the Artivive app on their phone or device.
Ms Sculley, who is a competition judge, said students had created some amazing displays.
“The collaboration among talented students in visual arts, graphic design, industrial design, and technology has been remarkable and has given young artists a platform to showcase their talents,” she said.
“I encourage those visiting Sunshine Plaza over the next six weeks to visit the installations, enjoy the immersive AR experience and vote for your favourite school.”
Plaza centre manager Michael Manwaring said it was an exciting competition.
“We’re excited to see the inaugural Sunshine Arts Fest become a reality as we showcase some of the brightest creative young minds in our region, while providing an opportunity for the community to experience augmented reality firsthand,” he said.
“We look forward to seeing the community engage with the installations over the coming weeks and encourage everyone to vote via the app before voting closes.”
Sunshine Plaza launched the festival this year to create an opportunity to showcase the creativity of local high school students, while also raising awareness of the importance of youth mental health and wellbeing through a partnership with headspace Maroochydore.
Every vote cast for a Sunshine Arts Fest installation will see $1 donated to support local youth art programs, capped at $5000.
