Guidelines

Students must follow these guidelines when designing their poster. Any poster not following these guidelines will be disqualified.

1. Entries must be postmarked no later than February 18, 2013*
2. Only elementary school students, grades K - 5, in Miami-Dade County will be eligible to participate.
3. Students must work as individuals. No teamwork posters will be allowed. 
4. Only original artwork will be accepted. No poster containing computer-generated graphics, photographs, collages, 3-D artwork or trademarked art will be accepted.
5. Poster must be drawn horizontally (landscape format) on 12" x 18" or smaller white poster paper or poster board.
6. Students may use crayons, watercolors, poster paint, colored pencils or magic markers to create the poster.
7. Poster must depict the theme of water conservation. Entries may use Miami-Dade water conservation campaigns such as "Every Drop Counts" or "Use Less" as themes.
8. All entries must contain an official entry form filled out and signed by the parent or guardian. The completed entry form must be securely taped to the back of the poster.
9. Posters should not be folded when packaged.
10. All artwork will become the property of the Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department and will not be returned.

*Because Monday, Feb. 18 is the President's Day holiday, poster submissions can be dropped off with a security guard at the Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department's main office.

For more information, please email the Water Use Efficiency Program or call 786-552-8974.

Recognition

One winning entry will be selected from each of the 13 County Commission Districts. The top posters will be awarded prizes and in the 2014 Every Drop Counts Water Conservation postcard calendar. Their artwork will be featured in the Water Conservation Photo Gallery.

All 13 students will be recognized by the Board of County Commissioners at a meeting and may receive additional prizes.

All students who submit an entry will receive a D-rop t-shirt in recognition of their participation in the project.

Judging criteria

The winning posters will be selected by a panel of judges, using the following criteria:

• Conservation Message (50 points) - Does the poster convey the theme's message clearly and link to the water conservation subject?
• Visual Effectiveness (30 points) - How does the poster relay the message and does it require you to take action? Will you remember the poster next year? Is it neat and creative? 
• Universal Appeal (10 points) - Regardless of age, language or educational level, everyone should be able to understand the message. Does it appeal to the general population or a large audience?
• Originality (10 points) - Artistic Expression.

The maximum number of points a poster can receive is 100 points.

Background

One of the measures of Miami-Dade's Water-Use Efficiency Plan is education through public outreach. The strategy for the public outreach plan builds on the County's historical involvement with the communities it serves.  The efforts continue to build on two main types of activities: information and involvement. 

The Water-Use Efficiency Program has determined a need to better educate the youth of Miami-Dade County by (1) instilling an appreciation for water and the need to protect our natural resources and (2) to provide a chance to feature educational outreach efforts of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, state and federal conservation initiatives on how to use water more efficiently. 

To meet these activities, the program has developed an innovative student art project to encourage local students to use their creative talents to promote water conservation.