Enter the International Women’s Day 2026 art competition and watch our online panel
Sunday 8 March is International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, a worldwide celebration of women’s achievements and a call to action to ongoing progress for gender equality. To commemorate, we are running both an art competition and an online discussion panel.
International Women’s Day 2026 art competition
We invite you to submit an original artwork capturing this year’s theme, ‘Balance the Scales‘, to our International Women’s Day 2026 art competition. Whether you’re an experienced artist or are interested in giving it a go, this is an opportunity for you to share your work.
The winner will receive a Woolworths voucher valued at AU$100 and have their artwork printed on Deakin branded tote bags distributed during Respect events throughout the year.
The competition has now closed and the winner decided.
The winning artwork
Thank you to all who submitted and congratulations to our winner, Anju Pradeep, whose piece ‘The Quiet Weight’ was selected by a panel of judges. See the winning piece and the artist’s statement below.
‘This artwork is inspired by the unseen labour women carry daily, particularly in communities affected by social and environmental inequality. The woman carrying water symbolises the disproportionate burden placed on women in sustaining families and communities, especially amid climate stress and limited resources. The fractured ground and heavy shadows reflect instability and systemic imbalance. Through this scene, “Balance the Scales” becomes a call to recognise invisible labour, redistribute responsibility, and ensure women’s voices are included in decisions shaping sustainable and equitable futures.’
We’d also like to highlight the amazing submission by our runner up, Minahil Amin.
‘My artwork was inspired by the idea that true equality can only exist when every woman is given the same opportunities and respect, regardless of her background. No one should be disadvantaged because of where she comes from, what she believes in, or the circumstances she was born into. Furthermore, I believe that fairness is not about treating everyone the same, but about ensuring that everyone has the chance to succeed and thrive. By visually balancing the scales, my artwork represents hope for a more just and inclusive world where every woman’s voice, rights, and potential are valued equally.’
The theme
Your artwork should reflect UN Women Australia’s official theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, ‘Balance the Scales’.
This highlights the urgent need to ensure fair, inclusive and accessible justice for every woman and girl.
UN Women Australia has also highlighted two critical areas for action, which you may choose to incorporate into your artwork:
First Nations Women: The importance of culturally safe, community-led solutions and addressing the ongoing impacts of intergenerational experiences and overrepresentation in the justice system.
Climate Change: How environmental challenges disproportionately affect women and girls globally, deepening existing inequalities and impacting security and rights.
Your design
To submit, you must be a Deakin student, and your artwork submission must be an original piece created by you.
Your artwork must be suitable for printing on a tote bag and fit the following format:
Square digital image (minimum 3000px x 3000px at 300 DPI for print quality)
High-resolution design in JPEG or PNG format
Include a brief description (up to 100 words) explaining your inspiration and how it connects to the theme.
Provide your details (name, student ID, Deakin email address, and mobile number) through the submission portal.
All submissions must be created by the entrant without the use of generative AI tools. If an entry is deemed to have been created using AI, it will be disqualified from the competition.
There is no charge to enter this competition, and you may enter as many submissions as you’d like.
Judging
Entries to the competition will be judged by a panel of staff, with the winner being selected based on merit and fulfilment of the competition guidelines.
The winner will then be notified through email by Wednesday 25 March 2026.
International Women’s Day Panel 2026
Deakin will also be hosting an online panel discussion at 1pm AEDT on Friday 6 March. Get involved and learn more about the theme of ‘balancing the scales’ and advancing gender equality across our community.
Moderated by Melda Ceylanbas, our panellists will include:
The 2026 UN Women Australia theme is ‘Balance the Scales’, a call to action to remove barriers to justice and build fair, inclusive communities. While progress has been made, inequalities persist, and many women continue to face challenges in achieving safety and equality.
UN Women has also highlighted two critical areas for action:
First Nations Women: The importance of culturally safe, community-led solutions and addressing the ongoing impacts of intergenerational experiences and overrepresentation in the justice system.
Climate Change: How environmental challenges disproportionately affect women and girls globally, deepening existing inequalities and impacting security and rights.
All artworks should reflect the theme “Balance the Scales” and may also incorporate a First Nations Women or Climate Change lens.
Eligible Entrants
Entry is open to all current Deakin students during the competition period.
Competition Period
The competition commences at 8am AEDT on Monday 2 February 2026 and closes at 11.59pm AEDT on Friday 20 March 2026.
How to Enter
Entrants must:
Submit your entry using the submission portal.
Create and submit an original artwork inspired by the 2026 UN Women Australia theme, ‘Balance the Scales.’ Your piece should explore concepts of equality and inclusion, and may choose to incorporate ideas relating to First Nations Women and/ or Climate Change.
Your artwork must be suitable for printing on a tote bag and fit one of these formats:
Square digital image (minimum 3000px x 3000px at 300 DPI for print quality)
High-resolution design in JPEG or PNG format
Include a brief description (up to 100 words) explaining your inspiration and how it connects to the theme.
Provide your details (name, student ID, Deakin email address, and mobile number) through the submission portal.
All submissions must be created by the entrant without the use of generative AI tools. If an entry is deemed to have been created using AI, it will be disqualified from the competition.
There is no charge to enter this competition.
Entrants may enter multiple submissions.
Selection of Winners
All artworks must be submitted by Friday 20 March 2026. Winners will be selected by the Equity & Inclusion International Women’s Day 2026 Working Group and contacted directly by Wednesday 25 March 2026.
The Prize/s
There will be one winner, who will receive a Woolworths voucher valued at AU$100. The winning artwork will be printed on tote bags distributed during Respect touch point events throughout the year. Additionally, the top artworks will be printed on canvas and displayed during Respect touch point events.
Notification of Winners
The winning artist will be notified via the email provided in the submission portal by Wednesday 25 March 2026.
Delivery of Prizes
The voucher will be emailed or texted to the email/mobile number provided through the submission portal.
The competition is being run by Deakin University(ABN 56 721 584 203) (CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B) (Deakin).
The competition details above and any promotional materials for the competition form part of these Terms and Conditions (T&C’s).
By submitting an entry, entrants agree to be bound by these T&C’s and entries must comply with the T&C’s to be valid.
Deakin accepts no responsibility for incomplete, late, lost or misdirected entries.
If a winner does not claim the prize within 10 days of Deakin attempting to notify them, they will forfeit the prize and Deakin may conduct a re-draw for that prize.
Prizes are not transferrable and are not redeemable for an alternative prize.
Deakin’s decisions on all aspects of this competition are final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.
Entrants consent to Deakin using their creative piece and associated description for promotional purposes.
By entering the competition, entrants:
confirm that any material they submit will be the original work of the entrant and will not infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties and will not be defamatory, obscene, derogatory, wilfully offensive or contain any viruses or malware;
grant to Deakin a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive licence (with the right to sub-licence) to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish and display their entry (or any part of their entry) in any media for any purpose (including to advertise or promote any of Deakin’s products or services);
consent to any act or omission by Deakin that would otherwise infringe their moral rights in respect of the entry;
agree to sign any further documentation required by Deakin to give effect to this clause; and
agree to indemnify Deakin for any breach of this clause.
Deakin accepts no responsibility and will not be liable to any extent for any accident, loss, injury or damage to any individual or property arising out of or in connection with the competition or the prizes, whether during or after the competition.
Personal information provided to Deakin by entrants will be used to conduct the competition, notify the winners and, where relevant. The winner’s name will only be published if explicit consent is given by the individual in writing. You are not required to provide the information requested, however, if the information is not provided, Deakin may not be able to register you for the competition
Deakin manages personal information, including requests by individuals for access to their personal information, in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). Deakin’s Privacy Policy is available from the Policy Library. For further information regarding your personal information please contact us on (03) 5227 8524 or by email to privacy@deakin.edu.au
This competition is governed by the laws in force in the State of Victoria.
Deakin reserves the right to cancel, delay or modify the competition or amend these T&C’s at any time.
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