Voting for the 2020 Think Kind Student Competition closes on Saturday, and Kiwis are being encouraged to show support for their favourite entry while they still can.

The competition, which is run by the NZ Vegetarian Society, promotes kindness to animals. It helps young people identify and develop skills that can be used to benefit others.

This year, the competition received entries from across the country. Among the final entries are a fundraiser, a drawing of Papatūānuku (the earth mother) suffering because we are not looking after her, and even a mobile app to help us reduce food waste!

Voting is open until the end of October, and the public is encouraged to have their say. You can vote for your favourite entry online: http://www.vegetarian.org.nz/vegetarian-events/think-kind/

Viktória Lencsés Spear, one of the Think Kind judges, says she was very impressed with this year’s entries.

‘We had a wide variety of entries - everything from colourful drawings, to a fundraiser to help raise money for an animal charity! All of the children put a lot of effort into their projects, using their talents and developing new skills.’

Ms Lencsés Spear said the competition promotes values associated with vegetarianism.

‘The competition promotes vegetarian values, like healthy living, sustainability, and non-violence. Most important of all, it encouraged the kids to reflect on kindness to animals. Some projects focused on what we eat, some on animal experimentation, while others thought about the effects of pollution on animals’ lives.’

Voting closes 31 October, and the winner will be announced on 1 November. The winner of the People's Choice award will win $1,000 for their school, donated by Linda McCartney’s. Other supporters include Hell, Proper Crisps, Goodness Me, New Way, Trade Aid, Terra Nut Cheese, and IsoCream.

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