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K-12 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest
November 21
K-12 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest
Entry deadline 5pm, January 31, 2024
The K-12 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest is open to California residents in grades K-12. (Immediate family members of Coastal Commission staff are not eligible.)
There are five grade categories for awards in both art and poetry: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Entries must have a California coastal or ocean theme (for example, no tropical or arctic settings or species). Art does not need to depict specific places or species, but if it does, they must be California places and species. Meaning, sometimes a fish is just a “fish,” but if it’s a recognizable type of fish, make sure it’s one that lives here! (Learn about California native species.) And while you can submit a poem about “the beach,” please don’t submit one about Waikiki Beach, for example.
Winners will be selected for art and poetry in each of the five grade categories; winners will receive a $100 gift certificate to an art supply store (art), courtesy of Blick Art Materials, or a bookstore (poetry), and tickets to Aquarium of the Pacific, courtesy of the Aquarium. Each winner’s teacher (named on the Entry Form) will receive a $50 gift certificate for educational supplies from Acorn Naturalists. In addition, multiple honorable mentions may be selected.
Ready to participate? Here’s what to do:
- Read the Contest Guidelines
- Create your art or poetry
- Learn How to Enter the contest
- Submit your work online by January 31, 2024 at 5:00pm, or submit by mail (see #6 in contest guidelines below)
Other things you can do:
- Download contest flyer in ENGLISH or SPANISH
- Check out some Teacher Resources, including brainstorming prompts and Common Core connections
- Enjoy galleries of past winners and honorable mentions
- Sign up for the contest mailing list.
Winners and honorable mentions will be contacted directly and announced to the public (on this website and via email) by early April.
Contest prizes provided in part by generous donations from Acorn Naturalists, Blick Art Materials, and Aquarium of the Pacific.
Judging assistance provided by members of the Tabula Poetica Center for Poetry at Chapman University.
