2023 Conservation Poster Contest
Calling all student artists! The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is seeking students to design posters to submit to the 2023 Youth Poster Contest. The theme for this year is One Water!
The Youth Poster Contest is a national competition sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts, and offered locally at the district level. District winners advance to the state level. Only Local Soil & Water Conservation Districts can forward their local winning poster entries to the VASWCD office for consideration at the state level. Virginia state winners will advance to the National Contest. National winners are recognized each year at the NACD Annual Meeting. The contest is open to the public, private or home school students, girl scout/boy scout troops, etc.
Any Scout who creates a poster and submits it to their local SWCD for judging can earn the VASWCD Poster Contest Patch. When submitting a poster to earn the Poster Contest Patch, be sure to check the box on the entry form. Please note that poster patches are distributed in December each year.
About Water
NACD’s 68th Stewardship Week will be held April 30 – May 7. In 2023, NACD’s Stewardship Week will be focused on watersheds and the theme of “One Water.”
But what is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, eventually leading to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Those bodies of water are all connected, so every drop that falls becomes part of one water.
Watersheds can be any size and usually have some high points of land like hills, mountains, or ridges. When rain, sleet, or snow falls to the ground, the precipitation runs from those higher points to the lower points. Gravity pulls the water downhill until it reaches a body of water. If the land in the watershed is steep, the water usually runs off into rivers or streams. If the land in the watershed is level, the water will slowly flow into lakes or ponds, or seep into the soil and add to groundwater. If the watershed is close to the ocean, then tidal marshes, estuaries, and wetlands will be part of the watershed. From the top of the mountain all the way to the coast, it is all one water.
Have you ever watched it rain? The raindrops fall on the ground and flow through the soil. Water soaks through the soil until it reaches groundwater, which is water that moves through spaces in soil and rock underground. A lot of the water we use and drink every day comes from water in the ground. As it rains and the water runs off, it collects in rivers, lakes, and oceans and then returns to the atmosphere to fall as rain somewhere else. All land across the entire earth is made up of watersheds. We all live in a watershed. We share the water in our watershed with other people, with animals, and with plants because… it is all one water.
Resources for past poster contest themes are available and offered by the National Association of Conservation Districts and include booklets, activity sheets, storybooks, K-12 lessons and activities, coloring pages, and additional teaching materials. You can access these materials here.
How to Enter
The 2023 poster contest is now open! Entries from Fairfax County must be submitted to the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District before advancing to the state and national competition.
Hand-drawn Poster Contest - open to K-12, the local NVSWCD competition follows the NACD national guidelines
*NEW* Digital Poster Contest - open to 7th-12th, please refer to digital poster contest rules
All posters (hand-drawn and digital) must contain the contest theme phrase "One Water". See posters from past contests for examples.
Posters should be submitted digitally as a .jpeg, .png, or similar file format. Posters and images may be of any size. When photographing or scanning your poster for submission, be sure that the entire poster is clear and visible, the image is appropriately cropped, and the photo accurately reflects the original poster.
Submit 2023 entries to ConservationDistrict@fairfaxcounty.gov or Ashley Palmer, Conservation Education Specialist. An entry form should accompany your entry.
Local winners receive recognition and a prize from NVSWCD and are forwarded to the state competition.
2022 NVSWCD Poster Contest Entries and Winners - "Healthy Soil, Healthy Life"
Resources for Healthy Soil, Healthy Life are offered by the National Association of Conservation Districts and include booklets, activity sheets, storybooks, K-12 lessons and activities, coloring pages, and additional teaching materials. You can access these materials here.
NVSWCD received 20 poster contest submissions for the 2022 contest and we are pleased to share with you the winners from each grade category.
Left to right: McKenna Caswell, Kindergarten; Akshara Menon, 3rd Grade; Evan Moh, 4th Grade
Left to right: Brooke Ehmann-Jones, 9th Grade; Bonny Koo, 12th Grade
2021 NVSWCD Poster Contest Entries and Winners - "Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities"
The theme for the 2021 conservation poster contest was Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities. Healthy forests promote healthy communities by creating healthier environments. Trees reduce storm water runoff, increase the soil’s ability to absorb and store water, and prevent soil erosion—all of which lead to cleaner, healthier waterways and reduce flooding that can impact communities. Trees can also absorb and break down certain pollutants, and their shading and cooling effects make cities more livable and help reduce cooling costs and energy consumption. Through photosynthesis, which converts carbon dioxide and water into tree trunks, roots, and leaves, trees can help capture and store atmospheric greenhouse gases and mitigate the risks associated with climate change.
Resources for Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities are offered by the National Association of Conservation Districts and include booklets, activity sheets, storybooks, K-12 lessons and activities, coloring pages, and additional teaching materials. You can access these materials here.
NVSWCD received 71 poster contest submissions for the 2021 contest and we are pleased to share with you the winners from each grade category.
Left to right: Muse Von Schriltz, Kindergarten, age 4; McClain Caswell, 3rd grade, age 8; Pinidi Kahandawa, 6th grade, age 11.
Left: Varsha Ayala, 7th grade, age 11; Right: Yeajoo Cho, 12th grade, age 17.
We received so many outstanding entries to the poster contest, we decided to honor two additional posters!
Honorable mentions, Left: Akshara Menon, 2nd grade, age 7; Right: Brooke Ehmann-Jones, 8th grade, age 13.
2020 NVSWCD Poster Contest Entries and Winners - "Where would we BEE without pollinators?"
The 2020 poster contest theme was Where would we BEE without pollinators? Pollinators form the foundations of a healthy and sustainable future for food and the environment, but in recent years, they have shown concerning signs of decline. It’s important that we work to help them prosper by enhancing native pollinator habitats and protecting against pollinator declines. The Pollinator Partnership is one of many great resources when learning about pollinators!
Resources for Where would we BEE without pollinators? are offered by the National Association of Conservation Districts and include booklets, activity sheets, storybooks, K-12 lessons and activities, coloring pages, and additional teaching materials. You can access these materials here.
In 2020, we received twenty-one submissions from all across Fairfax County and we are delighted to share our winners for each grade category. Our K-1 category winner, Natalie Peters, also won first place at the VASWCD state poster contest competition!
Left to Right: Natalie Peters, Kindergarden, Age 6; McClain Caswell, 2nd Grade, Age 7; Dahnbi Chu, 5th Grade, Age 10
Left to Right: Eva Cunha, 7th Grade, Age 12; Hae Kim, 10th Grade, Age 15; Noah Hush, 11th Grade, Age 15
2019 NVSWCD Poster Contest Entries and Winners - "Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper"
The 2019 poster contest theme was Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper. Soil is a dirty topic, but everyone needs to learn more about it! Soil is the foundation for many of the items we use in our daily life, such as food, clothing, clean water, homes and more. Healthy soil equals healthy food, which equals a healthy you. Don’t treat your soil like dirt!
Resources for Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper are offered by the National Association of Conservation Districts and include booklets, activity sheets, storybooks, K-12 lessons and activities, coloring pages, and additional teaching materials. You can access these materials here.
In 2019, we received over one hundred submissions from all across Fairfax County and we are delighted to share our winners for each grade category. Our K-1 category winner, McClain Caswell, also won first place at the VASWCD state poster contest competition!
Left: McClain Caswell, 1st Grade, Age 6; Right: Leena Saad, 3rd Grade, Age 8
Left: Sophie Le, 5th Grade, Age 11; Right: Jessica Bae, 8th Grade, Age 13