WELLINGTON Point students have turned selfies into a tool for koala conservation, designing a colourful sculpture that aims to encourage online conversations about the plight of the furry mammal.
Their piece - submitted to Redland City Council's Koalas in Design competition - features an oversized koala sculpture with legs that act as a seat.
It is the brainchild of the Wellington Point State High School students involved in ENCORE, an after school visual art extension program.
ENCORE co-ordinator Tamara Beale said the sculpture would help increase social media engagement around conservation.
"We thought that you could get your family photographed with the koala and it would be promoted to be pushed onto Instagram," she said.
"We suggested that we create a unique hashtag that they could use so that people were aware of koalas in the Redlands."
The team will now work with an artist at RPAC to bring the sculpture to life, before it is placed in a public spot in the Redlands.
Two runner up awards went to Cailin Baynton from Victoria Point State High School for her sculpture design, How much can a koala bare, and Cleveland District State High School's Lili Leaney for her mural design called The only tree.
All entrants' designs will be on display at RPAC until October 31.
Mayor Karen Williams said the entries were thought provoking.
"Young artists have used this challenge to showcase their talents to promote ways to protect our region's koalas," Cr Williams said.
"The conservation of our koalas is a priority for the whole of council but we also need to tap into the younger generation to get their ideas as well.
"The quality of the entries we received demonstrates not only the wealth of creative talent across Redlands Coast but also that our younger residents share our goals of keeping koalas safe and healthy."
