Over 250 secondary students vied for ‘sunflower glory’ at The University of Queensland’s Sunflower Competition Weigh-In Day last week.
With a scale-topping entry of 3.82 kilograms, Downlands College surpassed their previous record of 3.483 kilograms.
Competition judges, including UQ’s Victor Robertson from the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, were highly impressed by the calibre of entries put forward by the schools.
“The schools have done exceptionally well given the challenging weather conditions we faced this year,” Mr Robertson said.
“We had two weeks of wet conditions around the official planting date; the rain coupled with low light due to heavy cloud cover meant a very slow start to the competition for some schools.”
Dr Jay Anderson, a recent UQ plant pathology graduate and Research and Development Manager for the Australian Banana Growers’ Council, shared her experiences and spoke to the audience about the exceptional career opportunities available in agriculture.
“Choosing to study plant science at UQ has opened many doors for me,” Dr Anderson said.
“It’s important for students who are interested in agriculture to know that you do not have to come from a rural background to be successful in this industry.
“I was really pleased to be a part of this year’s Sunflower Competition and would strongly recommend it to any school who might be looking to incorporate plant science into their curriculum.”
The 2013 competition saw the introduction of four new categories, including “Most Ornamental Sunflower Prize” won by Marymount College who impressed the audience with their picture-perfect sunflower.
The new categories allowed schools that struggled with the weather conditions or didn’t have access to greenhouses to still feature in the prizes.
The “Poster and Reflective Journal Prize” is currently being assessed by judges.
This category gives schools that can’t make the Weigh-In Day event due to distance a chance to win a prize.
The UQ Sunflower Competition, hosted by the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, The Australian Sunflower Association (ASA), Pacific Seeds, AgForce and is supported by the Queensland Agriculture Teachers' Association (QATA).
Media: Monique Nevison, 07 3346 4129 or m.nevison@uq.edu.au
2013 RESULTS
Australian Sunflower Association ‘Heaviest’ Sunflower Category
Years 8-10
1st - Downlands College - 3.832kg
2nd - Downlands College - 3.516kg
3rd - Downlands College - 2.978kg
Years 11-12
1st - Marymount College - 2.130kg
2nd- Marymount College - 1.388kg
3rd - Ipswich Grammar School - 1.193kg
DowAgroSciences Overall ‘Heaviest’ Grand Champion
1st - Downlands College - 3.832kg (Competition Record Broken)
Tallest Sunflower Prize
Downlands College
Most Ornamental Sunflower Prize
Marymount College
Encouragement Award 1
Toowoomba State High School (Wilsonton Campus)
Encouragement Award 2
Corinda State High School
