It's almost that time of year again where Townsville is adorned with flags of festive joy, designed by local children.
While Townsville City Council's Festive Flag competition has become a staple in households across the city, in recent years it has found its way into schools, including St Anthony's Catholic College.
St Anthony's Catholic College teacher Rachael McCarthy said students had been taking part in the Council competition for a number of years.
"St Anthony's takes part in Festive Flags each year as a way to foster creativity in our students and give them the opportunity to celebrate Christmas as part of a community-wide competition," she said.
"This activity brings creativity, art, and festive spirit into the classroom.
"It's also a wonderful way to finish the term in the lead-up to the school holidays and shows students how art can connect people and make a positive impact in the community."
Rachael said there was plenty of inspiration to draw from for the 2025 theme of a North Queensland Christmas.
"We brainstormed what a North Queensland Christmas might look like to spark ideas — icons like the Cowboys, Castle Hill, The Strand, and even summertime favourites like ice cream often inspire the students' designs," she said.
"For our students, seeing their artwork displayed around the city at Christmas time is a very special experience and it gives them a real sense of pride and achievement."
Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the Festive Flags competition had grown into a real hit, with more than 300 entries in 2024 alone.
"What's great about the competition is it is open to all children from daycare, up to grade 12," Cr Greaney said.
"It's wonderful to see schools and daycare centres get onboard and see the creativity of the classrooms on paper and potentially even transferred onto flags flying high across our city."
The competition gives children the chance to be one of 20 artworks turned into flags and placed across the city, including The Strand, the city centre and Riverway.
"Over the school holidays we're asking for our young artists to create their artwork with a North Queensland Christmas in mind," Cr Greaney said.
"We want to see some creative entries, so jump onto Council's website to download the template and get drawing now."
Entries into the Festive Flags competition close at 11:30pm on Sunday 5 October.
