Example Buy Smart Competition entries
There are no set boundaries for what defines a ‘project’. In the past, we have received everything from board games and picture books to rap videos. Go ahead and surprise us!
On this page, you’ll find some examples of prize-winning entries from the past few years with notes about why they were successful. We’ve chosen a handful of entries from all three categories to demonstrate different topics and entry formats.
Years 4 to 6
Animated film (1st place, 2020)
Claudia and Matia, year 6, Faith Lutheran College Redlands
Judges' notes
A fun entry that cleverly teaches a very young target audience about scam awareness. The funny voices, bright colours and comedic ‘silliness’ are perfect for engaging with this audience.
The scenarios chosen are very relevant for small children. Hints and tips are also age-appropriate, with the key message being to seek help from a parent or trusted adult before responding.
Comic Strip (1st Place, 2019)
Larissa, Year 5, Mount Crosby State School
Copyright and credits: Photo by OFT. Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
An excellent use of the comic format, vibrant artwork drawing the reader into a very clever story. Hints and tips about common scams are seamlessly woven into the narrative.
The entry makes a particularly important point that a single mistake can cause even the most scam-conscious person to fall victim. And, best of all, it features a loveable cat!
Picture book (2nd Place, 2020)
Zac, Year 5, Kedron State School
Please note: This is a digital copy of physical submission (booklet).
Copyright and credits: Photo by OFT. Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
A very clever storybook that uses its narrative as a framework to help kids learn about budgeting and work towards a savings goal. Each page includes equations that show in simple maths how earning and spending impact on saving.
The book uses a balance of text and illustrations to engage young readers, and its cheeky sense of humour makes it a lot of fun.
Calendar (2nd place, 2018)
Soren and Matthew, Year 5, Kurwongbah State School
Please note: This is a digital copy of a physical submission (booklet).
Copyright and credits: Photo by OFT. Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
A calendar is a simple concept, but cleverly chosen to be a regular, visible part of the target audience’s everyday lives.
Providing a new tip each month is a very effective way to ensure the ongoing usefulness of the project through the year.
The information is clear, logically ordered and neatly presented.
Diorama (3rd place, 2019)
Reef, Year 4, Kin Kora State School
Copyright and credits: Photo by OFT. Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
The big, pink ATM is a creative and impressive way to draw in users and to inspire interaction with this diorama.
The entry cleverly encourages users to pay closer attention to their behaviour and learn some important lessons from the ‘bank cards’.
These tips—protecting your money, keeping a budget and shopping online securely—have been chosen well and the explanations are easy to understand and follow.
Short film (Highly commended, 2019)
Allie and Maddyn, Year 6, Boondall State School
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
This short film tells a simple but clear story about scam awareness while shopping online.
Its storyline is relevant for the target audience and provides a lot of opportunity to include hints and tips about the topic.
The tips are well considered with an extra level of depth beyond the usual—teaching viewers how to recognise that an offer is ‘too good to be true’.
Years 7 to 9
Puzzle box (1st place, 2019)
Grace, Year 9, James Nash State High School
Download the question booklet (PDF, 23.9MB)
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
An intriguing concept that actively encourages users to focus on scam awareness.
The gameplay—answering questions to access the padlock combinations—is both easy to understand and challenging to complete.
Information and tips have been well researched and understood.
This a unique, highly engaging idea that could also be adapted for re-use in teaching other concepts.
Instructional video (1st place, 2017)
Mana, Year 9, Trinity College Gladstone
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
The video offers a clear, well organised guide to buying a first car.
The 5-step structure effectively steps viewers through what can be a complex purchase. Its quality of research is impressive.
Humour helps ensure key messages are relevant and memorable for a youth audience.
Vocal tone and modulation in the voiceover are excellent, helping keep viewers engaged with the content.
Music video (2nd place, 2019)
Josh and Sarah, Year 9, Wavell State High School
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
A delightful music video that explains the rules and requirements around returns and refunds.
The song is especially impressive in using its own original music rather than ‘reinterpreting’ an existing song, with deftly written lyrics to reinforce the difference between faulty products or services and changes of mind.
The quirky animation is a fun way to support the substance of the entry.
Display kit (3rd place, 2016)
Chloe, Tyeisha and Siena, Year 8, Chancellor State College
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
The entry has a clever overall concept for presenting toy safety issues to parents of young children.
It identifies key areas of concern, such as accessible button batteries and dangerous small parts, and includes a strong call to action (‘Keep your children safe’).
The range of demonstration toys—unsafe and safe—emphasises and makes the points on the poster ‘real’.
Interactive slide presentation (Highly commended, 2019)
Athan, Cain and Rylan, Year 7, Merrimac State High School
Download the full presentation (PDF, 2.76MB)
Please note: minor edits have been made to some slides to protect students’ personal information.
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
This is an eye-catching presentation that makes excellent use of interactivity and hyperlinking tools within PowerPoint.
The research has been well put together and focuses on specific examples of scams that target your personal information.
Including the multi-player quiz is an excellent way to make the entry even more interactive and entertaining.
Social media feed with accompanying poster (Highly commended, 2019)
Phoebe, Grace, Amaya and Kirsten, Year 9, Sheldon College
View the BudgetingBudgies Instagram feed
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges notes
Given it's popularity with teenagers, social media is an effective channel to engage a young audience on the topics of budgeting, saving and spending carefully.
The project uses short, practical suggestions to communicate more detailed messages without overwhelming its audience.
The social media channel is beautifully curated with a well-balanced combination of text and multimedia, while the poster is an effective tool for promoting the digital entry for those who may not have access to social media.
Years 10 to 12
Board game (2nd place, 2019)
Jacob and Aaron, Year 10, Aspley State High School
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
A fun, clever board game to encourage people to be smarter with their shopping choices.
Players each receive a character whose individual life circumstances impact their needs and wants. Using this information, players must help their character meet their goals without overspending.
The gameplay keeps an effective focus on the desired learning outcomes.
Website (2nd place, 2016)
Georgia, Year 10, St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School
Please note: This image is composited from screenshots of the entrant’s webpage.
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
A website is an excellent way to raise awareness of scams because students regularly use digital and online channels to communicate, research and socialise.
The page is well written and clearly laid out, with choices of font and colour used well for emphasis to draw readers’ attention.
It shows excellent evidence of research, with links to relevant websites (including Scamwatch and various mental health aid services) lending credibility while also offering practical support to scam victims.
Magazine (3rd place, 2017)
Teya, Year 10, Redlands College
Download example magazine pages (PDF, 2.96MB)
Please note: These pages have been digitised from a physical submission (booklet).
Copyright and credits: Use of entrant’s work licensed as condition of entry into Buy Smart Competition.
Judges’ notes
A magazine is a very clever way to address teenage readers, an audience of typically active consumers of both instore and online shopping.
The articles cover a range of relevant issues and demonstrate a high level of understanding of these issues.
Including games and puzzles is a clever extra step to encourage active thinking about the issue.