Boulder St. Vrain Watershed Art Contest

Collage of images of young students holding up their water-inspired artwork.

Enter the 2026 Boulder St. Vrain Watershed Art Contest

The Keep it Clean Partnership invites students in the Boulder St. Vrain Watershed to participate in a free art contest with the chance to win cash prizes and other gifts!

In 2025 contest entries were featured at the Superior Civic Center, Lafayette Public Library, Longmont Water Fair, and on Longmont waste management trucks.

Sign up for the Keep it Clean Partnership newsletter to be notified about future art contests and other events in our watershed.

Who Can Enter

Any student in Kindergarten through 12th grade who lives in Boulder County or attends school in the Boulder Valley School District or St. Vrain Valley School District may enter.

Prizes

A panel of judges will select 3 winners for each grade division: Kindergarten-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th grades.

Kindergarten-2nd | 3rd-5th

1st Place: $75 of art supplies and gift cards
2nd Place: $50 of art supplies and gift cards
3rd Place: $25 of art supplies and gift cards

6th-8th | 9th-12th

1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50

How to Participate

Artwork should be inspired by one of the following prompts:
- I love Boulder Creek because…
- I love Coal Creek because…
- I love St. Vrain Creek because…
- I love [insert your favorite water place] because…
Students will submit their completed sentence for their selected prompt and one piece of 8.5” x 11” two-dimensional art using the media of their choice: crayons, markers, pencils, paint, pastels, fabric, watercolor, chalk, markers, collage, etc. Photographs and digital art will not be accepted for this contest.
Artwork must be created solely by the student and may not include any copyrighted characters or slogans.
Previous winners of this art contest are not eligible to win while they are in the same grade division as when they won.
By entering this contest, students acknowledge that their submission may be published by the Keep it Clean Partnership and its partner communities on websites, outreach materials, or other publications.
Submit artwork by November 8, 2026, 11:59 pm.

How to Submit

Artwork must be submitted by 11:59 pm on November 8, 2026. Submissions can be scanned and submitted using this form (coming soon), emailed to [email protected], or mailed to Keep it Clean Partnership, PO Box 471, Boulder, CO 80306. Mailed submissions must be postmarked by November 5, 2025.
All emailed and mailed artwork must include the following information: student’s completed sentence to the prompt, student’s first and last name, grade level, town or city where they live, school name, school district, parent or guardian name and email.
For teachers or other groups who would like to submit several pieces of artwork at once please contact Cristina at [email protected].

I am grateful for water because I love frogs and they live in it! - Mira, Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 1st Place

I am grateful for water because people, animals, and plants need it to drink, grow, stay clean, and make the Earth green. But I am most grateful for water when I dance in the rain and swim like a dolphin in the sea. - Matthew, Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 2nd Place

I am grateful for water because Colorado has awesome water and being around it is something I like to do with my family. My favorite water memory is fishing on the Roaring Fork River in Glenwood Springs with my dad and my brother. We spent the afternoon on the banks of the river, casting our rods, and watching them float in the current. It was fall and the leaves were changing colors and floating down into the water. It was a magical memory. - Grizz, Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 3rd Place

I am grateful for water because I've made so many great memories around Colorado waterways. My favorite Colorado water memory is from 2020 when I went to fly fishing camp for the first time. I caught my first trout on South Boulder Creek in the shadows of the Flatirons. It was a beautiful, summer day and I loved the feel of the cool water rushing by my legs. The water was so clear, I could see the fish resting in the pools by my line. Water gives me a place to play and enjoy nature. - Wood, 3rd-5th Grade, 1st Place

I am grateful for water because as it keeps us healthy, alive and clean. Plants need water to grow, farmers uses water to grow food. So, I believe if there is no water, there is no life. - Rishika, 3rd-5th, 2nd Place

I am grateful for water because I can swim in it. I can drink it. And I can play in the rain because of it. - Lilah, 3rd-5th, 3rd Place

I am grateful for water because it holds so much beauty within its simplicity. One small pond can become the heart of an entire ecosystem, giving life to countless things that depend on it. Water is a support system for the world, sustaining life in ways we often take for granted. I'm grateful for it, because something so simple has the power to create, and keep our world alive. - Zara, 6th-8th, 1st Place

I am grateful for water because it supports all living things. I am also grateful for water because it is beautiful and peaceful. - Parker, 6th-8th, 2nd Place

I am grateful for water because it sustains all life. It is critical for animals and nature, and we all depend on water. Even the smallest drop of water can be beautiful. - Harvin, 6th-8th, 3rd Place

I am grateful for water because without water we would be nothing. Water flows through life in the most beautiful way possible, everything it touches flourishes. Without water, there would be nothing at all, which is why I'm grateful for it. - Jane, 9th-12th, 1st Place

I am grateful for water because exploring rivers and lakes with my dad here in Colorado sparked my love for water. Those adventures (gold panning, fishing, and swimming) created lasting memories. Water symbolizes not only life but also those cherished moments with him, it's a beautiful way to remember our time together. - Rose, 9th-12th, 2nd Place

I am grateful for water because I can find a lot of macroinvertebrates. - Jz, 9th-12th, 3rd Place

2025 Honorable Mentions

Staff from the KICP partner communities also took a look at the artwork and selected some of their favorites.

I am grateful for water because it helps plants and life grow. - Kindergarten-2nd

I am grateful for water because it helps animals live. Ocean animals and land animals too. Water is amazing!!! I love water! - Chloe, Kindergarten-2nd

I am grateful for water because it brings life and magic to plants and animals. - Annabella, 3rd-5th

I am grateful for water because water can help us survive and without water we cannot survive. - 3rd-5th

I am grateful for water because my dream is to be a marine biologist. I have always loved the ocean. When I swim in the ocean I feel a sense of belonging. I love the ocean because it shows that not everything is as simple as it looks, it is so vast, wide, beautiful, mysterious and has lots of fun hidden surprises. - 6th-8th

I am grateful for water because without it we couldn't have the beauty of nature and the calm of rain. - Cathy, 6th-8th

I am grateful for water because to me, water represents peace, strength, and the ability to adapt and keep moving no matter what challenges come my way. - Maya, 9th-12th

I am grateful for water because some kids don't have access to clean water, so I am lucky to have access. - 9th-12th

2025 Entries

With 250 entries to review, the judges had a hard time picking their favorites. Here are some of the other amazing entries submitted to this year’s art contest.

"My favorite Colorado water memory is Sombrero Marsh because I liked how we used nets to catch creatures and learn if the water is healthy or not." - Linus, Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 1st Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is for my 8th birthday. I went to a big lake with lots of trout and other fish. It was super fun and we even had our grandparents with us." – Samuel, Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 2nd Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is going to a lake near the mountains, swimming, catching crickets and looking for special clear rocks." – Mila, Boulder, Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 3rd Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is last year (2023) when I was at Brainerd Lake. I stood on a tall, tall rock, and the wind was so strong I could have fallen off the rock. The sun also glinted off the water, making it shine." – Ella, 3rd-5th Grade, 1st Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is rafting on the wild rapids with my friends. It was my first time, we just moved to Colorado in August and I rafted in a ducky all by myself! I couldn't believe the beauty (we saw 3 bald eagles!) and how fun and serene it was." – Dylan, 3rd-5th Grade, 2nd Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is poking and playing with puddles in the rain. Wearing all my rain clothes." – Cora, 3rd-5th Grade, 3rd Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is going hiking with my family. I’ve always loved walking trails with my friends and parents, and seeing rivers and/or lakes rushing by was one of my favorite things. I’ve always found it poetic that one of Colorado’s biggest contributors to its water sourcing is the mountains; the very thing this state is famous for. I decided to portray that in my drawing through snowy mountains and a woman with hair made of water — ready to flow down into streams and rivers once the snow from the mountains has melted." – Abbie, 6th-8th Grade, 1st Place

"My favorite Colorado memory is the first big snowfall I experienced after moving here from California. Although this was more significant than just my first big snow, this snowfall was also right after the Marshall fire, which greatly affected my friends and community here in Superior. I remember looking out over the snow covered hills and trees and houses and reflecting on how nature had been so destructive, but was now so beautiful, and that the way the snow covered all the rubble was almost like renewing the earth after the fire. And this is why this is my favorite Colorado water memory moment." – Jane, 6th-8th Grade, 2nd Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is going to the Denver Aquarium for the first time. Being a jellyfish/marine biology enthusiast, every aquarium visit is a special time in my life. This is my first visit where I actually touched a jellyfish, which was super cool." – Renee, 6th-8th Grade, 3rd Place

"My favorite memory of water in Colorado is when the snow melts and turns into ice water, and I watch it run down the slopes." – Mia, 9th-12th Grade, 1st Place

"I moved to Colorado in 2021. The first time I ever experience a real snowfall was when it snowed right after the Marshall fire. That experience and the relief that came with the falling snow is the most prominent Colorado water memory in my mind." – Livia, 9th-12th Grade, 2nd Place

"My favorite Colorado water memory is taking the hike up to hanging lake August of this year. The hike itself was brutal, but all the trees around it made you shaded, and the final destination--the lake--was a beautiful sight! The reference image I used was even a picture I took; 10/10 would go again." – CJ, 9th-12th Grade, 3rd Place