Calling all student artists! The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is seeking students to design posters to submit to the 2021 Youth Poster Contest. The theme for this year is Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities!
About the Poster Contest
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 Girl Scout or Boy 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 Forests
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.
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.
How to Enter
Entries from Fairfax County must be submitted to the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District by Friday, October 1, 2021.
The local NVSWCD competition follows the NACD national guidelines.
Posters must contain the contest theme phrase "Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities". See posters from the 2020 competition for examples.
Posters should be hand drawn, but all posters must be submitted digitally. 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 entries to Ashley Palmer, Conservation Education Specialist. An entry form should accompany your entry; download the entry form here.
Local winners receive recognition and a prize from NVSWCD and are forwarded to the state competition.
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
