The Zero Hunger Trust Fund (ZHTF) has announced the winners of its 10th Anniversary Essay, Art and Photography Competition, held under the theme ‘Hunger Free SVG – My Role, My Future’.
The competition formed part of the Fund’s 10th Anniversary celebrations and invited young people between the ages of 9 and 20 to creatively explore issues related to hunger, food security, nutrition, sustainability and community resilience in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Running from 1–23 April 2026, the initiative received strong participation from students across the country through essay and visual art submissions that reflected thoughtful perspectives on building a hunger-free future.
Essay Competition Winners
The Essay Competition was divided into Junior and Senior categories.
Junior Category
- 1st Place: Lendre Pemberton — St. Vincent Grammar School
- 2nd Place: Adan Phillips — Roman Catholic Primary School
- 3rd Place: Xhara Samuel — Calliaqua Anglican School
Senior Category
- 1st Place: Juliano Christopher — North Union Secondary School
- 2nd Place: Dia Lavia — North Union Secondary School
- 3rd Place: Valdine Stapleton — St. Joseph’s Convent Kingstown
The first-place winners in both essay categories will each receive EC$1,000, while their schools will benefit from EC$2,000 in support towards school garden development. Second and third place winners will receive educational support packages and certificates of achievement.
Art Competition Winners
The Art Competition also showcased impressive creativity and strong interpretation of the competition theme.
- 1st Place: Kaylana Thomas — Thomas Saunders Secondary School, for ‘Feast & Famine’
- 2nd Place: Cheneil Barker — Thomas Saunders Secondary School, for ‘Sharing is Caring’
- 3rd Place: Summer Joseph — St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College
The first-place art winner will receive EC$1,000, while second and third place winners will receive EC$750 and EC$500, respectively.
Director and CEO of the Zero Hunger Trust Fund, Safiya Horne-Bique, said the competition demonstrated the depth of creativity, awareness and civic responsibility among Vincentian youth.
“As we commemorate ten years of the Zero Hunger Trust Fund, we wanted young people to be active participants in shaping the national conversation on food and nutrition security. The submissions reflected not only creativity and talent, but also a deep understanding of the challenges facing our country and the collective responsibility required to build a stronger, healthier and more resilient Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.”
Senior Programme Officer Alanda Moses commended participants for using their voices and talents to engage meaningfully with issues affecting their communities.
“Through essays and artwork, participants challenged us to think differently about hunger, agriculture, sustainability, sharing and community support. Their ideas and perspectives remind us that youth must remain central to the future of food systems transformation in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.”
The ZHTF also noted that no entries were received for the Photography category. The organisation indicated that it is exploring the possibility of relaunching the photography component in the future as a standalone competition with enhanced prizes, sponsorship opportunities and additional incentives to encourage wider participation from young photographers.
Winners and participants will be formally recognised during a prize-giving ceremony to be announced in the coming weeks.
