2024 Poster Contest Winners Announced
Poster contest judges Allyssa Gregory, BJ Dobson, and Rebecca Jacobs carefully evaluated the conservation message, visual effectiveness, and originality of each poster to select category winners, category honorable mentions, class winners, and class honorable mentions.
2024 Conservation Poster Contest theme:
May The Forest Be With You Always
Engage your Kindergarten through 6th Grade students with forests, forest conservation, and our collective responsibility to safeguard these vital ecosystems.
Knox-Lincoln SWCD Staff visit participating classrooms free of charge to introduce the contest to students. Classroom visits can be scheduled Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from December 12 through February 2. Posters are due on Friday, February 16.
Questions? Contact Louisa at louisa@knox-lincoln.org or (207) 596-2040.
Register Now
Register your classroom for the 2024 contest: May The Forest Be With You Always.
If requesting an optional classroom visit by Knox-Lincoln SWCD staff, register by Thursday, December 21, 2023. Classroom visits start on December 12, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If forgoing the optional classroom visit, register by Friday, January 26, 2024.
Resource Guide
The Knox-Lincoln SWCD 2024 Poster Contest Teacher Resource Guide compiles several relevant resources for teaching students about forests and their value.
About the Annual Conservation Poster Contest
The annual National Association of Conservation Districts Conservation Poster Contest provides K-6 students with the opportunity to convey their thoughts about soil, water, and related natural resource issues through art. Each year, the contest theme follows the annual stewardship theme of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). The contest highlights the educational outreach efforts of conservation districts and their state conservation associations, and is co-sponsored by the NACD and the NACD Auxiliary. It is open to all public, private, and home-schooled students.
Students first enter their posters into their Soil & Water Conservation District’s local contest. Winning posters then advance to the State and National contests.
Check out the 2023 Knox-Lincoln SWCD Local Conservation Poster Contest winning posters
Registration, Entry, and Poster Requirements
This information is available in PDF format. Educators should read this information carefully in order to understand requirements for registration, entry, and poster design.
Don’t forget to check out the 2024 Poster Contest Teacher Resource Guide, specially curated by Knox-Lincoln SWCD education staff!
Registration and Entry
Please register your classroom or student group online for the poster contest. Educators are encouraged to register as soon as they know they are participating:
Register on or before Thursday, December 21, if you would like a complementary classroom visit. Visits are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from December 12 to February 2 by Knox-Lincoln SWCD Staff, who will spend 30-45 minutes introducing the poster contest theme and key ideas related to the contest to your classroom through interactive activities. Note classroom visits are limited and available on a first-come-first-serve basis..
Register on or before Friday, January 26, if you choose to forgo the classroom visit and introduce the contest and poster theme to your students yourself. A resource guide with lesson plans, suggested activities, books, and videos will be provided to all teachers who participate.
Posters are due on Friday, February 16. Posters can be:
Picked up at your school office on February 16. If you choose this option, the posters must be in your school office by 8 am.
Dropped off on February 16 at the Knox-Lincoln SWCD office.
Sent by mail and delivered by February 16 to the Knox-Lincoln SWCD office.
Please attach a 2024 Poster Contest Form to the back of each poster using masking tape.
Winners of each category (K-1, 2-3, 4-6), will be announced by March 1, 2024. Category winners will automatically be entered into the State Competition. All other submissions will be returned via mail or dropped off at local schools by March 1, 2024.
Poster Criteria
Poster size is flexible depending on what teachers have available to them. Posters must be at least 8.5”x11”. Do not use neon-colored paper.
Any media may be used, including paint, crayon, colored pencil, charcoal, stickers, paper, or other materials.
Posters must include the poster theme, May The Forest Be With You Always.
Student names must only be written on the back of the poster, not the front. Please attach a 2024 Poster Contest Form to the back of each poster using masking tape.
Entry must be the contestant's original creation. Although younger students will most likely receive help in planning from parents or teachers, NACD encourages each student to do their own work. Note: Entries with student handwriting and coloring will score better than those designed, drawn, and colored by adult assistance.
Each poster must be created by an individual student, rather than a team of students.
Students in grades K-6 are eligible to participate.
Poster contest registration and entry instructions can also be downloaded in PDF format.
2023 Poster Contest Results
Watersheds: One Water
Thank you to all the schools, teachers, and especially the students who participated in this year’s National Association of Conservation Districts annual poster contest: “Watersheds: One Water”. We had students representing 38 classrooms and 14 schools, with over 370 posters submitted. It was exciting to see so many students engaging with watersheds, water quality, and conservation.
We would also like to thank our three poster contest judges, Irene Flynn (Stewardship and Land Protection Manager, Georges River Land Trust), Sue Mello (Natural Resource Program Manager, Boothbay Region Water District), and volunteer BJ Dobson. Judges carefully evaluated the conservation message, visual effectiveness, and originality of each poster to select class and category winners and honorable mentions.
2023 Poster Contest Category Overall Winners
