Artwork designed by pupils from Tong Leadership Academy has travelled all the way to the South Pole after being selected in a national competition.
UK Polar Network runs an annual art contest to design a flag for Antarctica – a continent that does not currently have a flag of its own – with the winning designs flown proudly on the world’s southernmost continent.
The project takes place as a celebration of Antarctica Day, which marks the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, a document declaring that Antarctica would be off limits to military activity and setting it aside as a place for peace and scientific discoveries.
Pupils at the school’s Humanities Club rallied behind the idea, creating flag ideas inspired by the Antarctic scenery, science and wildlife. The school’s final flag was a combined design from pupils Harvey, Kayden and Laura which features a collection of serene mammals and birds which call the Antarctic their home.
Pupils were delighted to receive photos of their flag held proudly aloft by researcher Aurelia Reichardt, outside the Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island, close to the continent’s most northerly point.