Operation Warpaint - 1st Prize to Dunedin Student

First prize in the New Zealand Defence Force’s Operation Warpaint art competition has been awarded to Gemma Baldock (12) of Dunedin. Operation Warpaint, a nation-wide competition for students aged 8 to 13, aimed to raise awareness of the 90th anniversary of Passchendaele which will be commemorated in October this year. Entrants were asked to submit a drawing or painting of their impressions of what it was like for soldiers at Passchendaele.

Operation Warpaint judge, official Army artist Captain Matt Gauldie, said he was impressed by the overall standard of the over 350 entries. He said that choosing the winners was a very difficult task but he believed the entry by Gemma best captured the emotions of the soldiers who fought at Passchendaele.

As the overall winner of the competition Gemma will receive a Defence experience for three including a flight in an Air Force helicopter and ride in a Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV). She will also receive $250 worth of art supplies for her school, Tahuna Normal Intermediate.

Daniel Wootton (13) of Christchurch was awarded the second prize of a day out on a Navy ship. Captain Gauldie said that Daniel’s painting showed the ANZAC spirit.

Third prize went to Caitlin MacDonald (10) of Porirua who will receive a ride to school for herself and three friends in an Army Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV). There were also ten runner up prizes awarded to students from Albany to Christchurch.

The Third Battle of Ypres (known as Passchendaele) in Belgium was one of the bloodiest of WWI. On 12 October 1917 more than 2,800 New Zealand soldiers were killed, wounded or lost in action in a single day – our greatest loss in military history.

From 4 to12 October a number of activities will be held in Belgium to commemorate the lives of the New Zealand soldiers lost at Passchendaele, which will be attended by Defence Force personnel from the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

“It is fantastic to see the efforts that have gone into the entries and the variety of mediums used,” said Captain Gauldie, “We hope that the competition got students and teachers thinking about what it was like for those who fought and died on the Western Front.”

A selection of the winning entries will be on display at the Wellington Public Library from 10 to 30 September.

A selection of Operation Warpaint entries can be viewed here.

ENDS