ST. JAMES––Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) is now accepting submissions for its 35th Earth Day Trash Art, Poster and Graphic Art contest. The theme for this year’s art contest is “Be a Food Waste Warrior” to increase awareness of food waste.

The Ozark Rivers Earth Day contest is a poster, trash art and graphic art competition open to all students in grades kindergarten through 12th in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. Homeschool students meeting these criteria are eligible and encouraged to participate. The graphic art portion of the contest is also open to post-secondary students.

Students have the opportunity to participate in multiple contest categories, including posters (hand-drawn and graphic arts), and re-purposing recyclables and trash into three-dimensional pieces of trash art. Posters should echo the theme of reducing food waste, a top priority in the district. The trash art contest may follow the underlying solid waste management theme to reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle.

First and second place contest winners will be awarded prizes, made possible by sponsor donations. Honorable mention projects will also be recognized. All prizes will contain recycled content, with the first prize valued at $30, second prize valued at $15 and honorable mention prizes valued at $5 approximately.

Entries for all categories (trash art, hand-drawn poster and graphic arts poster) will be accepted now through March 19 and may be dropped off at the county clerk offices at the nearest courthouse or at Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), 4 Industrial Drive, St. James. Call MRPC at 573-265-2993 if you need assistance with submissions.

Posters must not exceed 18”x13” and trash art projects must not exceed 12 inches by 12 inches.

Only one entry per category per student will be accepted, but students may submit entries for all three categories.

All entries must be clearly marked with the student’s name, grade, school district, school name and teacher’s name. If any information is not labeled, the entry will be disqualified.  Full contest rules are available at https://ozarkrivers.org/programs-and-services/earth-day/.

Co-sponsors of the ORSWMD event include Security Bank of Pulaski County, Town & Country Bank, Maries County Bank – Vienna, Legends Bank – Belle, Cuba Chamber of Commerce, Creekside Salvage, 63 Auto & Truck Parks, Bank of Crocker and Mid America Bank.  Co-sponsors support the purchase of Earth-friendly prizes for awarded artists.