During April and May, kids from across the Eastern Sierra submitted art to ESLT’s Earth Day Youth Art Contest. The art and accompanying descriptions that we received were beautiful and moving. The submissions were also overwhelmingly hopeful. 

The prompt had three choices that read:

1) If you were an animal or plant, what would you be?

2) How does nature make you feel?

3) What is your favorite place in nature?

We received submissions from first through twelfth graders from Bishop, Mammoth, and Death Valley. Some pieces depicted favorite animals or special places in nature that feed the soul. Others explored the complex lives of trees and entire ecosystems. You can view a full album of the submitted artwork here. 

Some of the submissions brought attention to environmental issues like pollution. These talented artists addressed problems head on with their artwork, placing hope and solutions at the forefront of their art. 

Last month, ESLT invited the contest winners to display their art at C5 Studios and attend a reception. A number of the artists and their families came out to see their art displayed in a gallery next to the descriptions that they had written. It was evident that both the kids and their families were very proud to see the art displayed and celebrated.

Thank you so much to everyone who submitted art to the Earth Day Youth Art Contest, to C5 Studios for their support and for displaying the winning art in their gallery, to the California Native Plant Society Bristlecone Chapter for grant funding that helped to make art supplies more accessible during thecontest, and to Erik Schat’s Bakkery for generously donating cookies and donuts for the reception.

Although every child who submitted art to this contest should be proud of their work, a group of four judges that included local artists chose the following winners:

First Place:

Grades 1-4: Vivica B.

Grades 5-8: TIE: Marie G. and Natalia Q.

Grades 9-12: Sofia H.

Second Place:

Grades 1-4: Haislip H. and Isabelle B.

Grades 5-8: Joseph B. and Isabella B.

Grades 9-12: Cynthia B. and Ashley C.

Honorable Mentions: 

Grades 1-4: Jasper A., Kendra G., Andrea G., Aurora M., Summer S.

Grades 5-8: Morgan D., Ellie S., Adde H., Esmerelda R., Olivia D.