Vote for your favorite art in each age category (kindergarten through high school). Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep our air clean. Examples: walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using electric vehicles or biofuels, and more.
Winners in each category will be featured on billboards across the state!
The contest poll closes at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17.
Winners will be announced in June. Stay tuned on nccleantech.ncsu.edu and FuelWhatMatters.org. For more information or any questions, email Amira Ferjani at aferjan@ncsu.edu.
North Carolina students from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state
Show how you can help keep the air clean for Earth Day this year! Submissions will now be accepted through Monday, May 8 at 11:59pm.
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has officially launched the 6th Annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest, where students in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state!
Students’ artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep our air clean. Examples include walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using electric vehicles or biofuels, and more. Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted. You can learn about the alternatives at cleantransportation.org or fuelwhatmatters.org or see examples from past winners and best practices for art submissions here.
Students now have until Monday, May 8 at 11:59 to submit their artwork. Please read the rules below to find out how to submit your artwork. Public voting will begin on Wednesday, May 10 and last through Wednesday, May 17 – stay tuned for a link to vote once submissions have closed!
For more information or questions please email Amira Ferjani at aferjan@ncsu.edu.
North Carolina students from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state.
Show how you can help keep the air clean for Earth Day this year!
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has officially launched the 6th Annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest, where students in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state!
Students’ artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep our air clean. Examples include walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using electric vehicles or biofuels, and more. Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted. You can learn about the alternatives at cleantransportation.org or fuelwhatmatters.org or see examples from past winners and best practices for art submissions here.
Students now have until Monday, May 8 at 11:59 to submit their artwork. Please read the rules below to find out how to submit your artwork. Public voting will begin on Wednesday, May 10 and last through Wednesday, May 17 – stay tuned for a link to vote once submissions have closed!
For more information or questions please email Heather Brutz at hmbrutz@ncsu.edu.
Artwork in a more horizontal rectangular shape (about the shape of a billboard) is recommended.
The student may choose the medium for their artwork but a 2-D work is best for billboard display. Digitally made art is accepted in addition to hand-drawn or painted work.
Recommended dimensions:
400h x 840w pixels at 72 ppi
400h x 1400w pixels at 72 ppi
Save as JPG, PNG or BMP at maximum quality in RGB mode
Note: Make sure to leave space in the submission to include the “Keep Our Air Clean” tagline on the final billboards if it is not incorporated into your artwork.
RULES
Students must reside in North Carolina and be enrolled in homeschool, elementary, middle or high school within state lines.
Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles.
Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted.
Only one entry per student is allowed and all submissions must be made via the submission form or by emailing Amira Ferjani at aferjan@ncsu.edu.
Teachers may submit artwork on behalf of their students through email or the submission form; all artwork submitted must return a signed permission form with each submission.
Artists who are over 18 or parents/legal guardians submitting on behalf of their children can submit artwork in one of two ways:
You may submit artwork via the Facebook submission poll. By submitting this work, you will be agreeing to the legal terms listed below.
Legal Terms
By submitting this photograph, image, graphic, or video (collectively the “work”) you hereby agree to the following:
You certify and warrant that you are the legal guardian of the minor who is submitting the artwork or are the artist and are legally an adult.
You certify and warrant that the work is your work or your child’s own original creative work and does not violate or infringe the copyright or other proprietary or intellectual property rights of others.
You retain all copyright and equivalent rights but grant permission for NC State to use, reproduce, distribute, and/or release the work to the public in any manner and in any medium without payment of any fee, and in perpetuity.
North Carolina State University reserves the right to use contestants’ names and works for educational publicity and/or promotional purposes, including website or exhibition of winning entries. You understand that the works will be shared with reporters covering these awards and for promotion of the competition itself. You hereby give North Carolina State University nonexclusive rights to use yours or your child’s name, likenesses, quotes and submissions for educational publicity and/or promotional purposes. This includes but is not limited to website display, print materials and exhibits.
You hereby agree to indemnify NC State, its trustees, officers, agents, and employees, from any and all claims, demands, and liabilities (including attorneys’ fees) incurred as a result of a final judgment or settlement or any claim or legal proceeding arising out of or resulting from a breach or claimed breach of the foregoing representations and warranties.
North Carolina students from kindergarten through high school are invited to submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state!
This Earth Day, you can show how you help keep the air clean!
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) is excited to announce the 6th Annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest this March, where students residing in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork focused on the theme of actions that individual families can take to reduce the amount of air pollution from vehicles.
Winners will have their artwork featured on billboards across the state to help spread the word about ways that we all can help keep the air clean!
Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles. Examples include walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using biofuels, electric vehicles, and more. You can learn about the alternatives at cleantransportation.org or fuelwhatmatters.org. Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted.
Artwork in a more horizontal rectangular shape (about the shape of a billboard) is recommended.
Recommended dimensions:
● 400h x 840w pixels at 72 ppi
● 400h x 1400w pixels at 72 ppi
● Save as JPG, PNG or BMP at maximum quality in RGB mode
Note: Text may be added on final billboards with the “Keep Our Air Clean” tagline.
The winner will be chosen based on:
• Relevance and appropriateness of the message, judged by NCCETC and our panel of judges
• Visual design, judged by NCCETC and our panel of judges
• Public votes on our Facebook account
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Heather Brutz at hmbrutz@ncsu.edu.
The winners of the fifth annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest have officially been announced by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at NC State University.
The selected artwork will be featured on billboards around North Carolina.
Elementary School Winner
Sudeep Asam | Morrisville Elementary School | Morrisville, NC
Middle School Winner
“Museum of Trees”
Evie Frain | Weddington Middle School | Weddington, NC
High School Winner
Emilyn Haddock | Broughton High School | Raleigh, NC
Vote for your favorite art in each age category (kindergarten through high school). Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep our air clean. Examples: walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using electric vehicles or biofuels, and more.
Winners in each category will be featured on billboards across the state!
The contest poll closes at 11:59 p.m. this Sunday, May 22.
Winners will be announced soon. Stay tuned on nccleantech.ncsu.edu and FuelWhatMatters.org. For more information or any questions, email Amira Ferjani at aferjan@ncsu.edu.
North Carolina students from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state
Show how you can help keep the air clean for Earth Day this year! Submissions will now be accepted through Friday, May 13 at 11:59pm.
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has officially launched the 5th Annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest, where students in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state!
Students’ artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep our air clean. Examples include walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using electric vehicles or biofuels, and more. Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted. You can learn about the alternatives at cleantransportation.org or fuelwhatmatters.org or see examples from past winners and best practices for art submissions here.
Students now have until Friday, May 13 at 11:59 to submit their artwork. Please read the rules below to find out how to submit your artwork. Public voting will begin on Monday, May 16 and last through Monday, May 23 – stay tuned for a link to vote once submissions have closed!
For more information or questions please email Amira Ferjani at aferjan@ncsu.edu.
Artwork in a more horizontal rectangular shape (about the shape of a billboard) is recommended.
Recommended dimensions:
400h x 840w pixels at 72 ppi
400h x 1400w pixels at 72 ppi
Save as JPG, PNG or BMP at maximum quality in RGB mode
Note: Make sure to leave space in the submission to include the “Keep Our Air Clean” tagline on the final billboards if it is not incorporated into your artwork.
RULES
Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles.
Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted.
Only one entry per student is allowed and all submissions must be made via the submission form or by emailing Amira Ferjani at aferjan@ncsu.edu.
Teachers may submit artwork on behalf of their students through email or the submission form; all artwork submitted must return a signed permission form with each submission.
Artists who are over 18 or parents/legal guardians submitting on behalf of their children can submit artwork in one of two ways:
You may submit artwork via the Facebook submission poll. By submitting this work, you will be agreeing to the legal terms listed below.
Legal Terms
By submitting this photograph, image, graphic, or video (collectively the “work”) you hereby agree to the following:
You certify and warrant that you are the legal guardian of the minor who is submitting the artwork or are the artist and are legally an adult.
You certify and warrant that the work is your work or your child’s own original creative work and does not violate or infringe the copyright or other proprietary or intellectual property rights of others.
You retain all copyright and equivalent rights but grant permission for NC State to use, reproduce, distribute, and/or release the work to the public in any manner and in any medium without payment of any fee, and in perpetuity.
North Carolina State University reserves the right to use contestants’ names and works for educational publicity and/or promotional purposes, including website or exhibition of winning entries. You understand that the works will be shared with reporters covering these awards and for promotion of the competition itself. You hereby give North Carolina State University nonexclusive rights to use yours or your child’s name, likenesses, quotes and submissions for educational publicity and/or promotional purposes. This includes but is not limited to website display, print materials and exhibits.
You hereby agree to indemnify NC State, its trustees, officers, agents, and employees, from any and all claims, demands, and liabilities (including attorneys’ fees) incurred as a result of a final judgment or settlement or any claim or legal proceeding arising out of or resulting from a breach or claimed breach of the foregoing representations and warranties.
North Carolina students from kindergarten through high school are invited to submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state!
This Earth Day, you can show us how you help keep the air clean!
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) recently announced the 5th Annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest will begin accepting submissions on Monday, March 14, 2022. Students residing in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork focused on the theme of actions that individual families can take to reduce the amount of air pollution from vehicles. Before the contest launches next week, NCCETC wanted to share best practices for students to use so their artwork can shine through in their submissions.
ABOUT THE “KEEP OUR AIR CLEAN” STUDENT ART CONTEST
Heather Brutz, Finance & Operations Manager of the Clean Transportation Program at NCCETC, and leader of the Student Art Contest, said her goals were to educate the public about steps we can take to improve air quality, as well as engage young people’s creative talents to help get the word out.
Students are asked to create art focused on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep the air clean. Examples include walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using biofuels, electric vehicles, and more. You can learn about the alternatives at cleantransportation.org or fuelwhatmatters.org.
See some examples from students whose artwork has won in the past:
Ashleigh Smith’s artwork was selected as the winning high school submission in the 2021 Student Art Contest for her creative combination of personal storytelling and visual skill to portray how she keeps our air clean.
Smith featured a greenway near her house that she often visits with her family in her submission. “I was inspired by that greenway and my brother’s love for mountain biking to create a piece that incorporated both and displayed a love for the beauty of nature and the outdoors, which will hopefully help convince people to help keep their air clean,” Smith said.
In 2019, Adriana Ryder’s artwork was the middle school winner for the Student Art Contest. Ryder focused on reducing pollution from driving in her submission. She explained, “Car-based pollution is one of the most common ways we are poisoning our air. Instead of driving, we could walk or bike- not only will it be keeping our air clean, but it is good exercise!”
Both Smith and Ryder’s artwork convey the “keep our air clean” theme with engaging subjects that show how someone can support it themselves.
Since the winning artwork is displayed on a billboard, students should try to keep their artwork clear and uncluttered to make it easily comprehensible from a distance. A clear and captivating subject can also aid a student in receiving more votes during the public voting period NCCETC hosts after submissions close. Last year, Smith’s artwork (pictured to the left; photo originally from Cary Academy) was the most popular for high school submissions and gained over 300 votes from the public.
It is also recommended that students use bright or high-contrast colors to make their artwork clear. Drivers passing by billboards on the highway only have a few seconds to grasp the message, so keeping the focus simple will make the artwork more effective.
GUIDELINES & SPECIFICATIONS
The winner will be chosen based on:
Relevance and appropriateness of the message, as determined by the contest judges
Visual design, as determined by the contest judges
Artwork in a more horizontal rectangular shape (about the shape of a billboard) is recommended.
Recommended dimensions:
400h x 840w pixels at 72 ppi
400h x 1400w pixels at 72 ppi
Save as JPG, PNG or BMP at maximum quality in RGB mode
Note: Make sure to leave space in the submission to include the “Keep Our Air Clean” tagline on the final billboards if it is not incorporated into your artwork.
RULES
Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles.
Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted.
Only one entry per student is allowed and all submissions must be made via the submission form or by email.
Teachers may submit artwork on behalf of their students through email or the submission form; all artwork submitted must return a signed permission form.
Artists who are over 18 or parents/legal guardians submitting on behalf of their children via email must include a signed permission form for each submission.
North Carolina students from kindergarten through high school are invited to submit their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state!
Show us how you help keep the air clean this Earth Day!
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) is excited to announce the 5th Annual “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest this March, where students residing in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school can submit their artwork focused on the theme of actions that individual families can take to reduce the amount of air pollution from vehicles.
Winners will have their artwork featured on billboards across the state to help spread the word about ways that we all can help keep the air clean!
Artwork should focus on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles. Examples include walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, using biofuels, electric vehicles, and more. You can learn about the alternatives at cleantransportation.org or fuelwhatmatters.org. Please make artwork family-friendly, non-partisan and non-copyrighted.
Artwork in a more horizontal rectangular shape (about the shape of a billboard) is recommended.
Recommended dimensions:
400h x 840w pixels at 72 ppi
400h x 1400w pixels at 72 ppi
Save as JPG, PNG or BMP at maximum quality in RGB mode
Note: Keep in mind that text may be added on final billboards with the “Keep Our Air Clean” tagline.
The winner will be chosen based on:
Relevance and appropriateness of the message, judged by NCCETC
In the fourth year of the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC)’s “Keep Our Air Clean” Student Art Contest, students in North Carolina from kindergarten through high school submitted their artwork for a chance to be featured on billboards across the state. Students were asked to create art focused on actions that people can take to reduce air pollution from vehicles and help keep the air clean. NCCETC congratulated three artists located in Black Mountain, Hampstead and Cary, N.C.
Heather Brutz, Finance & Operations Manager of the Clean Transportation Program at NCCETC, and leader of the art contest, said her goals were to educate the public about what steps we can take to improve air quality, as well as engage young people’s creative talents to help get the word out. Brutz said she originally came up with the Student Art Contest while recalling a previous job as a middle school teacher and hoped that the contest would engage young people’s creativity to help spread the message about ways we can reduce air pollution from vehicles.
“When I was a teacher, I would often try to engage students in a variety of different ways to teach a lesson. I applied that same thinking when I came up with the idea of the art contest. I wanted to engage a different audience than we sometimes engage in our other educational activities and I wanted to engage them in a different sort of activity than what we were already doing,” Brutz explained. “Artwork is so powerful and I wanted to work together with young artists to spread the message about ways we can keep our air clean.”
This year’s artwork was judged by a panel of four judges: Carla Davis, communications coordinator for NC State University’s Sustainability Office; Erin Champion, academic coordinator for the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State University; Traci Rider, assistant professor of architecture in the College of Design at NC State University; and Vincent Fazzio from Lamar Advertising. All of the winners selected by the judges were also voted in the top three artwork in their categories on NCCETC’s Facebook page.
The Center received a great number of submissions from students across the state. Brutz said, “I am very pleased at the number of submissions we received this year. We received 70 art submissions from all across North Carolina. It was a very competitive contest, and while we were only able to choose three winners to have their artwork displayed on billboards, every single young artist who submitted should feel proud of their artwork.”
We talked to winners of the contest about their artwork and what clean air means to them:
Ella Millwood – Elementary School Winner | Black Mountain Elementary School, Black Mountain, NC
Why did you want to enter the contest?
I wanted to enter because I wanted everyone to see what the world could become.
What does your artwork mean/what were you trying to express?
That people should help keep our air clean.
What does “keep our air clean” mean to you? Why do you think keeping our air clean is important?
I think it is important because if the air is really polluted, we wouldn’t be able to breathe and there would be very little life on earth.
Are you doing things in your own life – like riding your bike, carpooling, etc?
We walk and carpool whenever possible.
What was your reaction when you found out you won the contest?
I was surprised! I didn’t think I would actually win.
What do you hope will come out of your artwork being up on a billboard for people to see?
People to stop polluting our air and realize what the world could be.
Anything else you’d like to share.
I think that’s all!
Vivienne Butanis – Middle School Winner | Surf City Middle School, Hampstead, NC
Why did you want to enter the contest?
I wanted to enter the Student Art Contest because I wanted to express my disdain for the way we are treating our environment. It was an art class assignment to connect our art class to science. It was a way for me to see how I could interpret the current conditions of our environment into an art piece.
What does your artwork mean/what were you trying to express?
My artwork is trying to express how badly we are currently treating the environment. My artwork depicts our earth from two points of view: the first point of view shows where the air is polluted, and another point of view of how our environment might look if taken better care of.
What does “keep our air clean” mean to you? Why do you think keeping our air clean is important?
Keeping our air clean is important to me because at the rate we are burning fossil fuels and destroying the ozone layer, the earth won’t be inhabitable much longer which is a big part of why taking care of the environment is vital. We are not protecting the environment for just ourselves but for generations to come.
Are you doing things in your own life – like riding your bike, carpooling, etc?
I like to ride my bike and skateboard so I can get to places without having to increase my carbon footprint. It’s easier to get around in a coastal community only using a skateboard and a bike.
What was your reaction when you found out you won the contest?
I was very surprised and happy because I saw this contest as a good opportunity to put myself out there. My teacher says that art is not meant to be hidden in a drawer. We should put our work out there to cause a change. Sometimes that change is as simple as a thought.
What do you hope will come out of your artwork being up on a billboard for people to see?
I hope that people can see the current state of our environment and strive to make it better. Hopefully it will spark a change in everyone. We can not do everything but we can all do something.
Anything else you’d like to share.
Thank you for the opportunity of this contest that allows us to connect and reach people outside of our communities.
Ashleigh Smith – High School Winner | Cary Academy, Cary, NC
Why did you want to enter the contest?
I entered the contest because I thought that it provided a unique opportunity to spread an important message, and as an artist I really love to use my artwork to help out in my community if I can. It was also just really fun to make!
What does your artwork mean/what were you trying to express?
There is a really nice greenway near my house and my family and I love to use it to get some exercise or a breath of fresh air by walking, running, skateboarding, or riding our bikes. I was inspired by that greenway and my brother’s love for mountain biking to create a piece that incorporated both and displayed a love for the beauty of nature and the outdoors, which will hopefully help convince people to help keep their air clean.
What does “keep our air clean” mean to you? Why do you think keeping our air clean is important?
The state of our environment is more important to how we live our lives than I think a lot of people realize. If we care for our environment, it will care for us too and that can be as simple as carpooling with a friend or riding your bike to the store instead of driving.
Are you doing things in your own life – like riding your bike, carpooling, etc?
Yes! I take regular walks with my mom around our neighborhood, and I always try to organize a carpool when going someplace with friends because it’s both environmentally-friendly and fun.
What was your reaction when you found out you won the contest?
I was so surprised, I couldn’t believe it! Everyone who submitted artwork is really talented and I’m glad that my work could be among theirs as well.
What do you hope will come out of your artwork being up on a billboard for people to see?
I hope that it will inspire people to see the beauty and opportunities that nature holds, and further strive to understand how and why we need to take care of the air.
Anything else you’d like to share.
Special thanks to my brother for modeling for me, as he is actually the person on the bike silhouetted in my art piece. He let me take pictures of him riding and then I used them to create my work.