Engagement + Creativity = Conservation Awareness

 

To celebrate the importance of water and using it wisely, the City of Santa Ana launched a water conservation poster contest last fall for youth ages 5-18. Using the overall theme “Every Drop Counts: Let’s Not Waste It,” the contest was designed to raise awareness of everyday water conservation practices through the arts and creativity.

All Santa Ana youth were given the opportunity to participate. During the month of November, the City provided free materials and promoted the contest during special events hosted by Bowers Museum, Discovery Cube OC and Westfield’s MainPlace as well as throughout Santa Ana Unified School District Santa Ana recreation centers.

Sandra Pena, Vice Chair of the Art & Cultural Commission for City of Santa Ana, and Marco Balleza, an accomplished media artist and muralist in Santa Ana, judged more than 300 entries using four scoring criteria which included level of originality, visual and word clarity and adherence to the water conservation theme. Out of 350 entries, they selected 12 winning posters: 2 finalists and a grand prize winner in four different age categories.

All participants received a certificate of completion, and the winners were invited along with their families to a special recognition by the City Council, where they were awarded prizes ranging from gift certificates and Nintendo 3DS to iPads.

Be sure to look out for this year’s contest in October, so you can encourage your children to participate and let their creativity shine!