June 11, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 264

For further information, contact Valerie Gray, DNREC State Fair Committee, 302-739-9402, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Deadline Extended for 2009 Kids for Conservation Poster Contest
Entries to Be Displayed in DNREC Building during Delaware State Fair 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is extending the deadline to enter the 2009 Kids for Conservation Poster Contest to Friday, June 19.

Delaware students in grades K through 12 are invited to submit entries combining their artistic talent with their thoughts on conservation, with winners to be displayed in the DNREC Building at this year’s Delaware State Fair, which runs July 23-31.

This year’s theme, “Color Your Footprint Green,” emphasizes how students and their families can take action to reduce their environmental impact on their community. Such actions may include recycling, water conservation, changing a lightbulb, taking public transit to work or school, planting a tree, taking part in a coastal or highway cleanup project, helping to restore a wetland and many more.

The artist whose work is chosen Best of Show will receive a basket of green products and special recognition on Governor’s Day. The Best of Show artwork will also be placed on literature for DNREC. The artists placing first in each of the five grade categories will receive ribbons.

All entries should be flat and measure 22 inches by 28 inches. Artists may use any media such as paint, crayon, colored pencil and charcoal to create an image based on the theme. Entries should also include a conservation message of 50 words or less with a brief, catchy slogan to encourage public awareness of how our activities impact the environment and what we can do to reduce these impacts, as well as the benefits of conservation.  

Entries will be divided into grade categories K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, and will be reviewed by a panel of five judges with backgrounds in conservation sciences, education or graphic design. Posters are evaluated on the following criteria: conservation message, 50 percent; visual effectiveness, 30 percent; originality, 10 percent; and universal appeal, 10 percent. Artists placing first in each category will receive ribbons.

            Additional contest rules include:

• Deadline for entries is now June 19, 2009.
• Contest is open to students in Delaware schools and youth organizations.
• All posters must be created by individuals rather than teams of students.
• All entries must have a completed entry form securely attached to the back of the entry. Only the conservation title should appear on the front; no names.
• Posters become property of DNREC.
• Entries that do not comply with contest rules will be disqualified.

            Entries should be packed flat, marked “Attn: State Fair Poster Contest,” and may be mailed or delivered to one of the following locations:

DNREC Richardson & Robbins Building
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901

New Castle Conservation District
2430 Old County Road
Newark, DE 19702

Kent Conservation District
800 Bay Road, Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901

Sussex Conservation District
21315 Berlin Road, Unit 4
Georgetown, DE 19947

For further information, please contact Valerie Gray at 302-739-9402 or visit the DNREC website, www.dnrec.delaware.gov.