Released: May 3, 2023
As part of National County Government Month, the National Association of Counties (NACo) has launched a student art contest titled “I Love My County Because…” in an effort to bolster civic education and educate communities on the role of county government—a role that is often largely unknown or misunderstood.
The art contest, co-sponsored by Americans for the Arts—one of the nation’s largest arts advocacy and research organizations—aims to spread the word about county roles and responsibilities and raise awareness about county programs and services that impact people’s lives every day.
The contest is open to all students, grades K-12, from April 24 through September 29, 2023.
Submitted artwork must present a county activity that shows how “Counties Matter,” and take inspiration from the sentence “I love my county because…” The artwork must reflect some aspect of a county government function, service or program, to celebrate National County Government Month. Winning submissions will be included in the 2024 “Counties Matter” calendar.
Along with the artwork, each student is required to submit an “Artist’s Statement” that explains how “Counties Matter” in their community or complete the sentence “I love my county because…”. Submitted artwork should reflect the spirit of the statement submitted.
How to Apply
To apply, students can visit the National Association of Counties website at www.naco.org/resources/i-love-my-county-because-art-contest and click the "Get Started" button. Students will need to provide contact information and details about their school before uploading the digital file and copying their “Artist’s Statement.”
Submitted artwork will be judged based on artistic skill in painting, drawing or digital art. All artwork must be original in its expression of a personal vision or voice. It must be the student's own work and cannot be plagiarized or in violation of any copyright.
Artwork must be horizontal, 11" wide by 8.5" tall, and submitted in PDF or JPEG format. The most important elements of the artwork must not extend beyond 10.5" 8" to account for trimming during the calendar production process. Digital submissions should be in RGB color and be 300 dpi.
Participation is free, and only one submission per student is permitted. Additional deadline and submission details should be reviewed at www.naco.org/resources/i-love-my-county-because-art-contest.
Delaware County Council encourages our talented Dealware County students to participate, and looks forward to seeign the great artwork from students in counties all across the country!