1st Place: Susie Grady

2nd Place: Brittany Rininger

3rd Place: Chloe Burch

To mark Earth Day 2013, Rainforest Trust sponsored an art contest for high school students in Warrenton, Virginia. We challenged the students to demonstrate their understanding of Earth Day through artistic expression. Submissions were judged last Friday and we now have our winners. Our congratulations go to the following students:

1st Place: Susie Grady
2nd Place: Brittany Rininger
3rd Place: Chloe Burch
Honorable Mention: Raven Grandberry

To celebrate Earth Day, we have donated six acres of rainforest in honor of our winners. As an added bonus, the first place winner won a gift basket of eco-friendly goodies.

Many of the entrants came from Fauquier High School located near our office in northern Virginia. Dawn Brown, who teaches art classes at Fauquier High, threw her support behind Rainforest Trust’s  contest and encouraged her students to participate. To prepare submissions, students researched rainforest ecosystems, chose suitable subjects, and created their work using a variety of mediums, including: paints, crayons, and colored pencils.

The finished artwork was judged by Nikki Whipkey, Professor of Art at George Mason University and Adjunct Professor at NOVA Loudoun Campus.

The level of creativity, insight, and concern demonstrated in all entries was impressive and we want to commend each participant for their artistic efforts.

To learn more about ways that students and school groups have made a difference, visit our  Rainforest Ambassadors (formerly, Kids 4 Rainforest) page, which includes success stories and ideas for future projects.

Check out all of the entries on flickr!