Westville Girls' High School wins national Vega VIBE 2026 competition

Vega VIBE 2026: Westville Girls' High School shines in national competition.

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Westville Girls' High School has been crowned the national winner of the Vega VIBE 2026 competition for the second consecutive year after impressing judges with its creative marketing campaign for a South African outdoor brand.

The Durban school secured the title after competing against regional champions from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria in the national finals of Vega VIBE (Vega Interschool Brand Experience), hosted by The Vega School at Emeris.

This year's challenge tasked learners with developing a marketing strategy for Sapmok, a premium outdoor brand, aimed at changing Gen Z's perception that hiking gear is boring, unfashionable and only designed for outdoor adventures.

English and Art teacher Tayla Miles said the back-to-back national victory reflected the dedication and talent of the learners.

"This is our fourth year participating in the competition and winning nationally for the second year in a row is incredibly rewarding. It speaks to the calibre and commitment of our learners. We're very proud of them and this achievement," she said.

Westville Girls' High entered two teams of six learners in the Durban regional competition, with Team One advancing to the national finals.Grade 12 learner Snenhlanhla Hlongwa described the victory as the result of days of intense preparation.

"It feels phenomenal to be the national winners. We put a lot of hard work and preparation into our presentation from the time we received the brief a few days before the competition. There were sleepless nights, but it's been an amazing experience competing against other schools," she said.

Teammate Fumane Morojele said the group focused on understanding the client brief, conducting market research and refining a strong central concept, while Grade 12 learner Lethinhlanhla Zondo said the competition celebrated the values of sisterhood, collaboration and entrepreneurship fostered at the school.

"This opportunity with our school and The Vega School at Emeris gave us the space to be creative and to be our own entrepreneurs, which is very special to me as a black South African woman," she said.

Sapmok CEO and national judge Annabelle Cloete praised the standard of the competition, saying several presentations were comparable to tertiary-level work."I loved that Westville Girls' High School's concept felt authentically South African, was rooted in the arts and was realistic for a small brand like Sapmok to execute," she said.

Amalia van Schalkwyk, Deputy Dean of Brand Management and Communication at The Vega School at Emeris, said Vega VIBE exposes learners to real-world brand challenges while developing strategic thinking, creativity, teamwork and presentation skills.

As national champions, Westville Girls' High received a R17,000 Takealot voucher, while regional winners were each awarded a R7,000 voucher for their school and R1,000 vouchers for every team member.

IOL

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