Pint-sized artists with big designs on the Year of the Tiger

Young artists with their Year of the Tiger drawings

Pictures of tigers speaking, dancing, sleeping, eating, roaring and practicing tai chi are being displayed on bus shelters, billboards, street banners and online as part of the Sydney Lunar Festival.

The imaginative designs are the winning entries from the City of Sydney’s inaugural Sydney Lunar Festival hero artwork competition and were created by 6 young artists, aged between six and eleven.

Their pictures were chosen from more than 1,250 entries which offered young Sydneysiders an opportunity showcase their artistic talent and be part of our push to reinvigorate the city centre after the pandemic lockdowns.

2 of the winning designs – Big Mouth Tiger and Sleeping Tiger – have also been transformed into lunar lanterns that will stand guard at Sydney Town Hall steps throughout the festival.

Our artists also received a $150 arts and craft gift card.

Scroll down to see what our young winners, with an eye on the Year of the Tiger, had to say.

Credit: Renee Nowytarger

Mandarin Tiger by Amber aged 9

“My tiger’s name is Mandarin because she is orange and speaks Mandarin. The first thing that came to my mind when I thought about Lunar New Year was the lion dance. So, I added a dance hat to my tiger. She is also holding a bubble tea and a lantern in her hands and is wearing traditional Chinese clothes.

“The inspiration for my design was Asian culture. There’s a red lantern for wealth and prosperity to light the way for my tiger. Bubble tea is from the new generation, and I believe my tiger will like it too.

My hope for this year is for Covid to go away. In myths, the lion dance and lanterns were used to scare away evil spirits and monsters. So, I hope it can scare away the virus too!”

Credit: Renee Nowytarger

Sushi loving Tiger by William aged 8

“My tiger’s name is Sushi because he loves eating sushi. He eats it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!”

Credit: Renee Nowytarger

Big Mouth Tiger by Ruisi aged 6

“I drew a roaring tiger because I think it's awesome when the tiger roars. I was very happy and excited to be chosen – it was just like getting a Christmas gift. I like tigers very much, the tiger is the most impressive animal, especially the way it opens its mouth and roars.”

Credit: Renee Nowytarger

Titch the Tai Chi by Anja aged 11

“Titch is a water tiger, sensitive and tranquil. In 2022 she is going to show us how to bring balance into our lives through tai chi. She even has blue buttons for luck.

“I am a Tiger too, so I was really excited to draw this picture. I have done some martial arts before and I saw someone in a park near my house doing tai chi during the lockdown, so that gave me the idea.

“I hope that in this new lunar year we get to do all of things we’ve missed out on over the last 2 years. I hope we get to go out and do lots of activities with our friends and family without having to worry about Covid.”

Credit: Renee Nowytarger

K-Pop Tiger by Katie aged 9

“This is a happy dancing tiger showing the international sign language for ‘dance’, like [Korean boy band] BTS did in their song, Permission to Dance.

“Because I was watching news every day during the lockdown, I saw the person doing sign language next to the Prime Minister and wanted to know more about sign language. My parents explained it and showed me the BTS Permission to Dance music video.

I thought it was awesome and easy to remember. I like how it can bring everyone together and could be meaningful for so many people.”

Credit: Renee Nowytarger

Tiger Roll by Chloe aged 10

“The tiger found an egg sushi. He thought it was a bed. The tiger took out the egg and lay down instead. I like sushi. While thinking about the connection of year of the tiger and food, I thought the tiger's pattern was like seaweed, so I drew tiger sushi.

“In Korean culture, tigers are mysterious animals that prevent plague and disaster. In 2022, the year of the tiger, I hope the coronavirus will disappear and everyone will be happy and free.”

Credit: Renee Nowytarger