Gallipoli Winners
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins announced on 19 April 2010 the 21 students who joined the official New Zealand contingent at Gallipoli for this year’s ANZAC commemorations.
The year 13 students were the winners of a national competition organised by Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.
Students were invited to submit a multi-media art work that illustrated the impact of World War I on New Zealand society, using Gallipoli as a case study. The judging panel included the Chief Executive of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association, and the New Zealand Army Artist.
“All entries were of a very high standard, making the judging very difficult. I was impressed by not only the level of interest from students, but their deep knowledge of this defining event in our history,” Ms Collins said.
The winners travelled to Turkey on a Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 jet, and were chaperoned by the NZ Defence Force.
The students attended international services on 24 April, and participated in ceremonies on Anzac Day as part of the NZ contingent.