On Tuesday 16 August, Sophie Taplin who is a year 8 student at St Clare’s College, won the 2011 competition for Art In, Butt Out.

The “Art In, Butt Out” competition is an initiative of the AMA ACTs Tobacco Task Force and aims to reduce the uptake of smoking by young people particularly, and to increase the awareness in the community of the health benefits of “quitting” the smoking habit. The competition is for Year 8 students to design an anti-smoking advertisement to be distributed on “Canberra Milk” cartons across the Territory. The artwork will be carried on milk cartons for a period of approximately 5 weeks on an estimated 78,000 milk cartons.

The competition cause provides an opportunity for media students to exercise their design and art skills by devising and developing marketing strategies to positively influence their peers and translate these strategies into very visible advertisements. Importantly, it encouraged young people to think about their health and well-being and specifically bring into focus the harmfulness of smoking and tobacco products.

Canberra Milk is committed to supporting the community in a positive way, and the Art In Butt Out competition has been supported by Ms Katy Gallagher, as the Health Minister and the Education Directorate since its inception in 2008.

Sophie’s artwork will be circulating on Canberra Milk cartons in September.