Students from Adventist schools across Australia have showcased their creative talents in a competition inspired by the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday).

Young artists, poets, videographers, and more unleashed their imagination, resulting in an array of diverse and colorful entries. Students were asked to come up with a creative work highlighting what they love about the Sabbath. Entries included poetry, sculptures, paintings, podcasts, and video clips.

Among the standouts was “Seven,” a sculpture created by fourth grade students from Victoria Point Christian School in Western Australia. Crafted from reclaimed wood, the “7” sculpture measures approximately one meter in length. The artwork symbolizes the importance of the Sabbath and served as a foundation for the students’ creative expression.

“Students reflected on the Sabbath as an opportunity to come closer to God and wanted their artwork to celebrate the beauty of His creation,” a statement accompanying the entry said.

“Each student used permanent ink on stones to represent the things they love about Sabbath: family, friends, church, music, nature, Bible stories, singing, sunset, peace, animals, and rest. They chose to honor God’s creation by decorating the spaces in between with nature-based materials.”

Riverside Adventist School, Prescott Primary Northern, Carlisle Adventist College, North West Christian School, Tweed Valley Adventist College, Heritage College, Hilliard Christian School, Kempsey Adventist School, and Darling Downs Christian School also submitted entries.

Jean Carter, education director for Adventist Schools Australia, congratulated all the students who participated and commended their creative, innovative, and thought-provoking entries. She also emphasized the competition’s role in fostering conversations in classrooms about the significance and blessings of the Sabbath.

“A number of reports have come back from teachers sharing how this competition was a starting point for a conversation in their class about the Sabbath and the blessings of the Sabbath in an open and curious environment — what a blessing,” Carter said.

Prizes and certificates have been sent out to the schools for presentation to the winning students. A similar competition for students in New Zealand and Pacific schools is planned for next year.

The competition was organized by Adventist Media in collaboration with Adventist Schools Australia. It was part of the wider Sabbath Gift project that launched in June. The Sabbath Gift is designed to draw attention to the benefits of the seventh-day Sabbath as a time of rest and restoration, community, and connection in today’s stressful, fast-paced, and isolated world. And, most importantly, organizers said, it aims to highlight the Sabbath as a gift from a loving God.

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist Record.