Trash to fashion, upcycled junk, photography and short movies – artistic ways for dealing with waste came to the fore again this weekend in Tauranga.

Ninety-five entries from nine schools in the Western Bay of Plenty, ICONZ and a few adult entries were on display in the Addison Theatre at Tauranga's Baycourt on Sunday afternoon.

School students and adults had been encouraged to look around the house for items that could be turned into art. Four categories were entered – upcycled junk, Trash to Fash, photography and short movies.

Schools that entered were ACG, Matahui School, Tauranga Intermediate, Tauranga Girls College, Papamoa College, Mount Maunganui Intermediate, Mount Maunganui College, Waldorf School and Katikati College.

Sustainable Art Challenge coordinator Diana Donker said she was stunned with the high standard of work produced.

'We had some sensational pieces, not only in the Trash to Fash section, but also some beautiful upcycled junk art.

'It's so wonderful to see how creative our young people are with many art pieces made completely from recycled materials. I especially like to highlight the hard work of the following inspirational teachers, Mrs. Young from Tauranga Intermediate, Mr. Stratton from Tauranga Intermediate and Mrs. Wylie from Mount Maunganui Intermediate.”

A large crowd of around 500 people attended the event and included a special music performance from last years' winner of the Smokefree Rockquest competition Bree and Seth Rackham of Katikati.

'The aim behind the competition is for young people especially to learn about waste materials going to landfill,' says Diana. 'It's about recycling and doing something with a product that would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

'It's also about using their creativity along with inventive ways to reduce waste and its impact on the environment – again using materials that would have ended up in landfill to create something beautiful.”

'So it's a bit of combining art and environmental issues.”

The judges of the event were Anne-Marie Simon and Francis Benson, both from the Fashion Department at Te Ohomai Institute, General Manager of BOP Film Anton Steel, and Nic Clegg, and artist from The Incubator.

The event was compered by More FM's Lauren White.

Some of the Winners:

Short Movie - Zoe Beck - Tauranga Girls College

Trash to Fash - Wearable Art (Secondary) - Hope Gibbard - Mount College

Trash to Fash - Wearable Art (Intermediate) - Nicholas Gibbard - Mount Manganui Intermediate

Trash to Fash - Fashion - Zoe Beck - Tauranga Girls College

Trash to Fash - Fashion Circus Baby - Nia Friis - Tauranga Intermediate School