One Water Regional Art Contest

March 16, 2022

This contest is now closed to new submissions.

Source Water Protection - How can you protect source water?

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is joining regional water utilities to hold an art contest with the theme of protecting our source water. We’re looking for local student artists grade 9 - 12 to create visual media which captures the importance of our local water sources.

Theme:

Only 1% of Earth’s water is fresh and accessible making water one of our most valuable resources. Our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater are all One Water, connected through our local waterways. To preserve water quality for future generations, it is important to understand where water comes from, how we use it, where it goes when it leaves our homes and businesses, and how it eventually becomes source water again.

Fairfax County Wastewater Management, Fairfax Water, MWCOG, and other regional water and wastewater utilities are hosting a two-tier art contest at the local and regional levels.

We’re looking for local student artists from Fairfax County to create visual media which captures the importance of protecting our local water sources – through wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water initiatives. Because they are all One Water.

To learn more about source water protection and the One Water concept:

Click here to learn more about source water in Fairfax County: https://www.fairfaxwater.org/water-supply.
Click here to view a video about One Water in Fairfax County: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzF8xv6If40
Click here to visit's the U.S. Water's Alliance's website on the One Water movement: http://uswateralliance.org/one-water

Below are the requirements for this contest.

All contestants must fill out the application and submit their work using the online form located here: https://bit.ly/3e8kd3h

Age Range:

Contestants must be in grades 9 - 12.

Location:

This contest is only open to students living in Fairfax County.

Submission Categories:

Painting and Drawing - Includes acrylic, pastels, watercolor, oil paints, colored pencils, crayons, gouache, spray paint or other non-digital media where pigment is applied to a physical surface such as canvas or paper.
Photography and Digital Art - Includes art produced with a camera, on a computer, digital tablet, or phone.

Judging Criteria:

Click here to view the scoring rubric for this contest.

Deadline:

Friday, April 8, 2022, at 11:59 pm EST

Local winners will move on to the Regional Art Contest! Prizes for the regional contest are:

$300 Grand Prize per Category
$150 Honorable Mention per Category
$100 for each Grand Prize Winners’ Teachers

Please note:

By participating in this contest, you are giving permission for the work to be displayed at various public events, in publications and promotional materials, and in electronic format on the internet by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and members of the Community Engagement Committee. Fairfax County and Fairfax Water have the permission to use any submitted artwork in all media formats including print, electronic, or other, in perpetuity. Students will retain ownership of any artwork submitted through this contest.

Additional Information:

For contest questions, email Public Relations here.