Queensland school students win big while learning to Buy Smart

What do a pillow, a giant purse and a bag of fortune cookies all have in common?

These entries were just some of the clever and creative ways Queensland school students showed off their consumer and financial literacy skills in the Office of Fair Trading’s 2015 Buy Smart Competition.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath today presented more than $11,000 in prizes to dozens of smart young consumers from Years 4 to 12.

Mrs D’Ath said Queensland students had come up with brilliant new ways to explain the opportunities and pitfalls that we all face in today’s complex marketplace.

“I’m pleased this generation of young consumers are now better equipped thanks to the Buy Smart Competition,” she said.

The competition, held every year since 2002, asks students in years 4 to 12 to research a consumer or financial issue and present their findings in a creative way.

Mrs D’Ath said it was vitally important to make sure young people develop their consumer and financial literacy skills from an early age.

“Everyone in society is a consumer, and that includes young people,” she said.

“School students are not just lining up for tuckshop – today’s young consumers interact with a complex digital marketplace through smartphones, social media, online apps and a wide range of other platforms.

“All of our entrants can take the lessons they’ve learned in the Buy Smart Competition and use them to become smarter shoppers, and they also have lots of tips they can share with their families, friends and classmates.

“This can help them avoid making the sort of costly mistakes that can lead to young people falling into debt.”

Entries were submitted in three categories: Years 4–6, 7–9 and 10–12, and covered a range of topics including scams, budgeting, buying a first car and gendered marketing.

“We received some excellent entries from schools as far north as Cairns and as far south as Palm Beach, as well as regional centres including Georgetown, Moura, Monto and Dalby,” she said.

A full list of this year’s winners can be found at www.qld.gov.au/buysmartcomp.

The Buy Smart Competition 2015 prize winners are:

Years 4 – 6

First place – Leearna Patricks, Layla Kishi, Lennow Tomai, Walmaria Borrell, Fuscia Phillis-Wi and Kaila Hill

Second place - Kasper Hendriks and Darcy Helmore

Third place - Charli Stewart, Elise Wickham, Eloise Post and Alivia Bowden

Highly commended - Cooper Solinas, Riley Hughes and Izaak Lahey

Years 7 – 9

First place - Maddison Head, Renni Dwyer

Second place - Grace Marshall, Jocelyn Nguyen, Sophie Plumridge

Third place - James Moriarty, Oscar O’Connor

Highly commended - Charity Power, Shannon Feakes, Sophie Clucas, Mackenzie Alexander, Amelia Parker, Kiana Sprott, Maria Caravousanos, Bryana Hartley

Years 10 – 12

First place - Caitlin Edridge, Chelsea Hall

Second place - Alyssa Brinckman, Georgia Larson

Third place - Lachlan Harding, Nathan Smit

Highly commended - Abbey Sullivan, Didi Seeto, Kiana Asgari, Trang Huynh, Saleha Hussain

Media contact: 3247 5968