“It’s a big opportunity for young people to enter those competitions on a national level,” said Sowles.

Linda Burney agrees, saying, “As the Minister for Youth I take every opportunity to talk up young people – not talk them down – and promote their creativity, energy and ideas. Youth Week demonstrates this and more.”

Although winners receive a valued Industry Award, it’s not entirely up to the judges. Another four entries will be selected in each category for the People’s Choice Award, where the public will vote in May for their favourite.

But what exactly does this talent competition mean for young people? The winners of 2007 shared their thoughts.

“A career in the film industry has been my main motivation for many years and this motivation was a key factor for entering the competition,” said media student at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Elliot Heatwole.

The ShootIT Senior winner uses the Canon video pack to shoot all of his current projects, allowing him to make the movies he wants without the “added technical difficulties of ageing equipment”.

“The accolade itself was (and still is) proving exceptionally valuable,” added Heatwole, with the award being a major talking point and asset in interviews for various universities.

Similarly, Andrew Babington enjoys photography and visual arts, but it’s his passion for film that made him ShootIT Junior winner for his piece, ‘The Last Day’. After he completes his HSC in a few months, Andrew will be attending the Australian Film Television and Radio School to be trained as a feature director.

Irksome Bliss has been composing music since 2006. The high school friends won both the industry and People’s Choice Award for RockIT Junior. The accolade has no doubt added to the prestige the band has garnered lately, with upcoming gigs at the Gaelic Club and Come Together Festival.

“We always jump at opportunities to go in competitions and get more exposure,” they said.

The prestige complimenting the award certainly benefited Jason Morey, the SnapIT Junior winner, being accepted into Art School without an interview.

Yet sometimes it’s the reassurance that’s necessary. Kunal Sharma, the WriteIT Senior winner for ‘Some Asian-Pacific Chronicles,’ said: “It has given me a great degree of confidence and reassured me of my writing style…the competition has given my work quite a bit of exposure and I’m very grateful for that.”

Babington added that although the awards are prestigious, it was his own expertise and will that got him that far.

“I don’t think the competition really furthers or teaches anything; it only encourages people to get experience on their own part by actually going and making their art. Myself, it gave me a lot of media exposure in June last year, which was extremely helpful,” he said.

Robi Stalder submitted his entry for the inspiring theme in DesignIT Senior, and he said that the award encouraged his passion for illustration, however he also believes that more encouragement and help may be beneficial for contestants.

“Promoting the individuals behind these achievements rather than simply awarding them may be more beneficial,” he said.

One in five young people in Australia experience depression, and Beyond Blue CEO Leonie Young says over 60 percent don’t get the professional help they need.

It is for this very reason that Beyond Blue have decided to collaborate with the national initiative, as a sponsor. Young says it is a fantastic opportunity for “young people to get together, have fun and find out about where help is available in their communities.”

Image courtesy of 'Irksome Bliss'