Brochure and Entry Form (.pdf)

Columbia, SC--A watershed is an area of land that drains rainwater, snowmelt, runoff, and groundwater into a single water body such as a stream, river, lake, or ocean. Within a watershed, all the rain, hail, sleet, or snow that falls eventually flows to “One Water” body. Watersheds occur on many scales, from the tiny watershed that feeds a single storm drain in a parking lot all the way up to the giant watershed of the Pacific Ocean, which encompasses large areas of several continents. The way we treat the land in our watersheds and our daily habits can have a big impact on the water we use and drink. 

We invite Richland County K-12 students to create a poster titled “One Water” to illustrate how and why it is important to practice good conservation habits in their watershed!

Eligibility

Richland County students in grades K-12 should submit their posters to the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District for local judging by Friday, April 14, 2023; students in other counties in SC should contact their local conservation district for entry deadlines and details. 

Rules

1. Posters MUST be 14”x 22”. We can provide up to 24 sheets of 14”x22” poster paper per school; contact Chanda Cooper at cooper.chanda@richlandcountysc.gov to request supplies.  
2. Any media may be used to create a flat or two-dimensional effect, including paint, marker, ink, crayon, charcoal, colored pencil, stickers, collage, wallpaper, magazines, photos, digitally-designed graphics or flat objects found in nature.
3. Posters should be packaged so they remain flat when sent for judging.
4. All posters must be created by an individual student rather than a team of students.
5. The 2023 contest topic (One Water) must be on the poster.  
6. Attach a signed entry form to the back of the poster. Student or school names must not appear on the front of the poster.    
7. Entry must be contestant's original creation and may not be traced from photographs or other artists' published works.

Recommendations

1. Posters should present a simple, concise visual message, similar to a billboard or bumper sticker.  As much as possible, limit text to the contest topic (One Water); additional text can be difficult to read and complicates the message.  
2. The contest topic (One Water) should be in bold, clear, unique text at the top or bottom of the poster, above or below the illustration; OR the slogan can be incorporated into the illustration, but the words should stand out.
3. Text should be large enough to be easily read. Try conveying your message through illustrations rather than words. Imagine your poster will become a billboard on a major highway – people driving by quickly won’t be able to read a lot of text.
4. Avoid fluorescent-colored posters.  

Evaluation

Posters will be evaluated by grade level according to the following criteria:

1. Conservation Message: poster illustrates why water is important to us, how watersheds operate, and how we can practice water conservation.  (50%)
2. Visual Effectiveness: poster attracts attention, uses colors and white space effectively, is easy to read, is neat, and makes good use of colors and shading. (30%)
3. Originality (10%)
4. Universal Appeal:  information conveyed on poster is relevant around the world. (10%)

Submission

Posters completed by Richland County students should be delivered to the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District by Friday, April 14, 2023. Posters may be dropped off in person or mailed to 2020 Hampton Street Room 3063A Columbia, SC 29204. Posters should be packaged to remain flat when sent for judging. 

Competition Progression and Awards

Richland County winners will progress to the state competition in Fall 2023; state winners will progress to the national competition in Winter 2023. Cash prizes will be awarded at each level.

• County Competition: $25 prizes will be awarded to winning posters in each of five grade level categories. Cash prizes are sponsored by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District.
• State Competition: $50 prizes will be awarded to winning posters in each of five grade level categories. Cash prizes are sponsored by the SC Association of Conservation Districts.
• National Competition: First place prizes in each grade level category will receive $200; second place posters will receive $150; third place posters will receive $100. Cash prizes are sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts Auxiliary and the Albert I. Pierce Foundation.

Sponsors

Richland Soil and Water Conservation District
SC Association of Conservation Districts
National Association of Conservation Districts

For more information, contact Chanda Cooper at (803) 576-2084 or cooper.chanda@richlandcountysc.gov.

Brochure and Entry Form (.pdf)

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Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners. The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise use and care of natural resources for long-term sustainability.

Contact
Richland Soil and Water Conservation District
2020 Hampton Street, Room 3063A
Columbia, SC 29204
Phone (803) 576-2080
Fax (803) 576-2088
E-mail soilandwater@richlandcountysc.gov
Facebook www.facebook.com/rswcd