Annual Water Calendar Contest

2026 Winners

Poster Contest Theme

What you do at home and in your community affects everyone downstream. The 2026 Water Connects Us All poster theme challenges middle school students to learn about their role in the watershed they live in and what positive actions they can take to conserve, protect, and celebrate our water resources, now and for future generations. 

All Middle School students (Grades 6-8) in New York State public and private schools are eligible to enter the poster contest. One student per poster. Deadline for receipt of posters is Friday, January 2, 2026.

Poster Requirements

Posters must clearly convey the theme "Water Connects Us All" and how you can be an inspiration for positive environmental action. You may use any type of media, including watercolor, pen and ink, crayon, chalk, and markers. The poster must be 8½ " x 11", landscape layout on a white background. Posters must contain original hand-drawn artwork - no computer generated posters or graphics. Copyrighted characters (such as Dory, Sponge Bob, Ariel, etc.) and clip art will not be accepted. Keep in mind that posters will be on public display and should be easy to see or read. Winning posters will be compiled for distribution as part of a 2027 calendar.

Prizes and Awards

• Each participant receives a Certificate of Recognition (PDF).
• The top 14 posters will be included in a 2027 calendar which will be distributed throughout New York State.
• The 14 winning students will receive their framed poster presented by a NYWEA chapter representative.

Judging

DEC and NYWEA staff will review all posters and pick the top 30 entries. NYWEA membership and DEC staff will vote for the 14 winning posters. Judging will be based on the following criteria:

• Clear and correct message conveyed by text and artwork
• Creativity, originality, and artistic quality
• Visual clarity

Do Your Homework

We encourage you to research the topic of "Protect Our Watersheds" so the posters reflect the contest theme. The following websites may help you in your research:

• NYWEA - Including the new "Value of Water Children's Book"
• DEC - Learn about how to help keep water clean
• EPA Kids Science Pages
• USGS Water Science School

Lesson Plan Ideas

DEC created a lesson plan and presentation for teachers and a student worksheet. The lesson instructs students on how locate a watershed, identify possible pollution sources, and guides students to brainstorm solutions and actions to reduce and prevent pollution within a watershed.

• "We All Live in a Watershed" Lesson Plan (PDF)
• "We All Live in a Watershed" Presentation for Teachers (PDF)
• "We All Live in a Watershed" Student Activity Worksheet (PDF)

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is a collection of innovative, water-related activities designed for use in K-12 classrooms. Additional resources are available on Project WET's national web site.

Hot Topic

Human activities leave behind materials like pesticides, pet waste, trash and even loose soil that can wash into our waters and pollute them. There are lots of actions that people can take to protect water-proper fertilizer application, septic tank maintenance, planting vegetation along the shoreline (buffer), cleaning up pet waste, planting rain gardens, pumping-out boats properly, and helping to prevent sewage spills (don't dump fats or grease; don't flush diapers, baby wipes or personal hygiene products).

Release Form

Each poster must have a Poster Contest Release Form (PDF) securely fastened to the back of the poster. All artwork submitted becomes the property of the DEC, and may be reproduced. A poster not accompanied by a completed release form will not be eligible for judging. The release form and announcement is also available in:

• Spanish Poster Contest Release Form (PDF)
• Haitian Creole Poster Contest Release Form (PDF)
• Russian Poster Contest Release Form (PDF)
• Bengali Poster Contest Release Form (PDF)
• Chinese Poster Contest Release Form (PDF)
• Korean Poster Contest Release Form (PDF)

Mail To

NYSDEC - Calendar Contest
625 Broadway, 4th Floor
Albany, NY 12233-3508

Questions?

For more information on this poster contest, please contact dowinformation@dec,ny.gov.