Would you like to win a trip to Antarctica? That is the prize on offer to the winner of a competition to name the nation’s new icebreaker vessel.
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The Member for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker, is encouraging local students to get involved, saying it would be an unforgettable experience.
“Up to 12 students and four teachers will fly to Antarctica for a day, becoming the first children to set foot on the icy continent as part of the Australian Antarctic Program,” Mr Hartsuyker said.
“The winning students will fly from Hobart to Australia’s Wilkins Aerodrome where they will meet Antarctic scientists, as well as expeditioners living and working at nearby Casey research station.
“The competition is open to Australian students from year 5 to year 8. Entries will only be accepted from school classes, who able to enter their suggested name in a written or video format.
“The competition will give local students the opportunity to name the sophisticated new Antarctic resupply and research vessel which will shape the future of Australia’s Antarctic Program.
“Entries in the ‘Name our Icebreaker’ competition will be judged by a panel of Antarctic experts on criteria including originality, creativity, sincerity, appropriateness and alignment with the values, objectives and activities of the Australian Antarctic Program.”
He said the Government had committed to a $1.9 billion package under the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan to cover the design, build and 30 year operational and maintenance lifespan of the icebreaker, representing the single biggest investment in the history of Australia’s Antarctic program.
The icebreaker will be more than 156 metres long and accommodate 116 expeditioners. It will be equipped with an array of cutting-edge scientific equipment including a moon pool, multi-beam bathymetric echo sounders, hydrophones and underwater cameras.
There are also seven new curriculum-aligned modules about the icebreaker developed on the Australian Antarctic Division’s website, ‘Classroom Antarctica’, ready for use in North Coast classrooms.
The competition closes on Friday, June 9.
The winning entry will be publicly announced in September 2017, with the prize flight taking place in November 2017.
More information for the name the icebreaker competition via https://classroom.antarctica.gov.au/icebreaker.
