A Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg (DSJ) student made the school proud when he won the teen category for his creative artwork.
Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) is an organisation which raises funds to support projects worldwide, combining the skies and stars.
DSJ entered the AWB’s international art competition tilted AstroArts, as part of its outreach programme. This was the second year AWB held the contest, to coincide with Global Astronomy Month in April.
The competition was open to four different age categories. This is the first time a learner from the German school took part. Nicules Holtmann said at the end of last year he had entered an internal art competition at his school with the theme, How to Shape your World.
He added he was inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night and decided to include the Johannesburg skyline to tie in with the theme since Johannesburg is part of his world.
“So when this opportunity arose for the AstroArts competition, the artwork was just a perfect match. I entered it, not in the least expecting to win an international art competition in my age category. In fact, I had completely forgotten about the competition until I received the email from them advising me I had won first place,” said Nicules.
He added there were four categories, with three winners each. The twelve artworks will be used to produce greeting cards and a 2018 calendar.
The proceeds are used to fund all sorts of projects all over the world, in schools and communities. This is done to teach children about the skies, stars, our universe and also to show them there’s more out there.
“I’m thrilled to know that I’ve played some small role in ensuring that children in poorer countries and communities have the opportunity to discover the stars!”
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