Culver City Observer -

Local Students in Grades 3-12 Are Encouraged to Create Water-Smart Artwork

West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) announced the launch of its 2021 Water is Life student art contest today. Program information is available at http://www.westbasin.org/waterislife.

West Basin fosters student creativity and innovation throughout its service area by hosting the annual art contest. Student artists help inspire their communities to support water conservation as a way of life by creating thought-provoking water-smart pieces of art. Submissions are due via regular mail or e-mail by Friday, March 19.

“We encourage 3rd-12th grade students in our local schools to participate in this year’s West Basin art contest,” said West Basin Board President Gloria D. Gray. “Last year, we received about 500 creative entries from students, and we hope to see those numbers go up this year with the added flexibility to submit artwork electronically or through the mail.”

This year’s art contest features a number of updates that are aimed at boosting program participation, including standardizing the submission paper size and expanding artwork submission options. New, pre-recorded instructional videos will be available on the District’s YouTube page to help students understand the art submission process. Teachers can also request a live online art lesson where a West Basin staff member will provide art tips and techniques to create an award-winning piece of art.

Fifteen student winners (one grand prize winner and four honorable mentions in each elementary, middle, and high school grade category) will be selected by a panel of judges in April. Each winner is awarded a new Apple iPad, with Grand Prize winners additionally receiving a digital stylus pen and $25 Apple Store gift card.

The contest is a collaborative water education program in partnership between West Basin and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). Winning artwork from West Basin’s local contest will advance to Metropolitan’s regional competition and may be featured in the agency’s 2022 student artwork calendar.

For more information about the Water is Life student art contest, including updated guidelines and how to make art lesson reservations, please visit http://www.westbasin.org/waterislife.