ABBEY Watson, a talented young artist, has secured third place in the 2025 Queensland Youth digital art competition, impressing judges with her thoughtful and vibrant piece centred around the theme of “Youth.”

“Participating in the 2025 Queensland Youth digital art competition was an exciting opportunity to take place in. I saw the competition on the Queensland Youth website, and decided to try my hand at it. After sketching, colouring and refining my piece, incorporating techniques of composition and different colour palettes to set each character differently, I submitted it to the website,” Abbey explained.

Her artwork focused on portraying teenagers from various backgrounds, highlighting diversity and unity.

“With the topic of ‘Youth’, I wanted to focus more on the aspect of teenagers, and how even if they’re all different, they can all get along. From research and using people I know from my life, I drew inspiration to design the characters. I wanted to include a lot of diversity in my piece, so I drew teenagers from all different ethnicities,” she added.

Abbey received exciting news about her achievement roughly two weeks after submitting her artwork.

“After around two weeks after submitting, I found out that I had won third place through a phone call from Queensland Youth. I was excited to hear the news that I had made it into the top three from the no doubt, many participants. I ended up winning the $250 prize that came with third place!”

The top three winners were officially announced by the Minister of Queensland Youth, Sam O’Connor, recognising their artistic talents and contributions.

Abbey reflected on her experience, saying, “This was a great experience to participate in, and I look forward to many in the future!”

Abbey’s success is a testament to the creativity and passion of young Queenslanders, showcasing how art can bring communities together and celebrate diversity.

Her work has inspired others to express themselves and embrace cultural differences through creative mediums.