National Water Week
21-27 October, proudly supported by our principal partner 
Every third week of October, National Water Week makes a splash across Australia, inspiring individuals, communities and organisations to work
together to build awareness around the value of water. Access to clean water is hugely
important to every aspect of our lives, and we must do our best to protect
our water environments and resources, and use water wisely.
The theme for National Water Week 2019 is: It's time to change the world. This has been adapted from the World's Largest Lesson on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a campaign to introduce the 17 sustainable development goals to young people all over the world and unite them to take action to meet these goals by 2030.
What can I do for National Water Week?
There are several ways you can get involved in National Water Week this year. Below you'll find details about our short film competition, the Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize (a water science competition for high school students), colouring pages, books about water and how you can change the world, lesson plans for the classroom and resources for social media.
Short Film Competition
This year we are running a short film competition for primary and high school students. We're asking the question:
What are some actions we can take to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in Australia and/or globally? In your short film, you can focus on 1-2 goals and provide a set of actions people can take to help meet those goals and change the world.
Check the guidelines below for details about the competition, including rules, judging criteria, important dates, prizes, and terms and conditions. Each entry must be accompanied by a consent form which you can download below. To enter the competition, fill out the entry form below. Good luck!
Guidelines Consent Form Entry Form
Upload Film (Primary) Upload Film (High School)
High School Short Film Competition Sponsor: 
We're extremely lucky to have the support of Veolia for our high-school short film competition. To find out more about how they're resourcing the world, check out their website.
Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Help solve the world’s water challenges in Australia’s biggest water science competition! This year, Australia won the international competition for the first time in history which is pretty exciting. Entries are open to students 15-20 years old until 16 December. You can find all the documents and information you need below.
Colouring Pages
Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals with our colouring pages which you can download and print for use in the classroom or at home. We'd love to see how you’ve coloured them in! If you share photos on social media be sure to tag Australian Water Association or use the hashtag
#NationalWaterWeek so that we can share them too.
Book Club
Take a look at our must-read books for National Water Week. Whether your kid or a kid at heart, you can definitely change the world.
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Kids are on a mission to make our Earth a better, safer, happier place, and you can join in! In her book, Lucy shares world-saving tips like how to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans.
Get your copy here |
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In this book, Meg shares Water's journey through her life cycle, helping her to understand her place in the world and the way she interconnects with all living and non-living things.
Get your copy here |
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What if saving the Earth were a game, the greatest game we’ve ever played? Katie's book will make you dig into your creativity and unearth your greatest ideas so you can change the world every day.
Get your copy here |
Water Wise Tips
Follow these useful tips to save water in your home.
Resources
Here you'll find a whole range of educational resources relating to water, whether it's the SDGs, the water cycle, how to save water, where water comes from and what happens when you flush it down the toilet, plus the importance of water to Indigenous Australians. If you have some resources you want to feature here, get in touch with
Mel, our National Water Week Coordinator.
Sustainable Development Goals
Click on any of the boxes below to find out more about each SDG and the related targets.
Indigenous water
River Kids – ABC goes 'Behind the News' to explore the challenges facing the Murray River
Indigenous Weather Knowledge – The Bureau of Meteorology looks at the history of Indigenous weather, environmental knowledge and cultural stories
National Cultural Flows Research Project – Looks at Indigenous connections to water and Aboriginal water values
Water cycle
Perth's Water Supply – Water Corporation's interactive online tool showing where Perth's water comes from
Interactive Water Cycle – Unitywater's Education Program has resources for teachers and students
When Water Lost Her Way – Audio book presentation of the Australian book
When Water Lost Her Way
Natural Water Cycle Colouring Sheet – Learn about the natural water cycle with South East Water's colouring sheets
Urban Water Cycle Water Warriors – Find out how Melbourne Water's Water Warriors make a positive impact on the urban water cycle
Flushing water
Don't Flush Your Underwear – Bundaberg Regional Council's video shows why you shouldn't flush your undies down the loo
Poo Crew – ABC goes 'Behind the News' to find out what happens when you flush the loo
Bottled water
Bottled Vs Tap Water – ABC goes 'Behind the News' to find out why people pay for bottled water when our tap water is safe and free
Banning Bottled Water – ABC goes 'Behind the News' to find out why a small NSW town has banned the sale of bottled water
Saving water
Weird Water – ABC goes 'Behind the News' to teach kids to stop wasting water
Love Water Quiz – Hunter Water's quiz will tell you if you're a Wasteful Wade or an Aware Alice!
Save Water Inside Your Home – SA Water shares practical tips on how to save water at home
Saving Energy & Water Around the Home – EWOV shares tips on saving energy and water around the home
Everything you need to know about water
Educational Resources – Melbourne Water has lots of resources on wetlands, saving water, and the water cycle
Teaching Resources – All the teaching resources you need to help students learn about our most precious resource
Water Resources for Everyone – South East Water has resources for kids, teachers, parents and the community
The Great NT Water Story – Power & Water Corporation's student storybook and teacher guide
Water Education Resources – Water Corporation's education site has resources for teachers, games for kids, and information for schools
Water Education Videos – WaterNSW has a range of videos about building dams, and managing water supply and quality
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
Resources for Parents & Teachers – Andrea Beaty has books, posters and free downloadables to inspire kids to love STEM
Events around the country
Let us know what you're doing for National Water Week this year. We'll list it below so that your staff or the local community can get involved.