Overview
A Splash of Creativity is an art competition in which students submit original artwork focused on caring for water. Originally launched as Cal Water H2O Challenge's Individual Challenge in 2021, this competition is open to individual students in grades K-12 living in a Cal Water service area, and offers multiple tiers of competition based on grade level. The competition is one of many Cal Water efforts to increase awareness for California water issues and a unique opportunity for California students to gain exposure and recognition for their creative work.
Featured Artists
Students can submit their artwork by December 31, 2024 to be displayed in the Featured Artists gallery on our website.
Teacher Prizing
Teachers submitting 10 or more entries from their students will be entered into a drawing for up to $100 in prizing.
Eligibility
Eligible students must:
- Be in grades K-12
- Submit an original work of art & artist's statement
- Focused on caring for water; and
- Addressing a local California water concern
- Reside or attend school within a Cal Water service area
- Have a legal guardian sign their submission
- Have a legal guardian or teacher mail in their submission
To find out if you live within, or if your school is within, a Cal Water service area, click the button below.
Caring for Water
Works focused on caring for water might address water conservation, the water cycle, or the watershed. When submitting artwork students are asked to list how their work addresses caring for water and will be able to choose from the above categories or write in another option.
Local California Water Concerns
Artwork should address a local California-based water concern. Students will be able to note the concern being adressed on the coversheet for their submission.
The Artwork
The centerpiece of A Splash of Creativity is the artwork submitted by participating students. All submissions are to focus on caring for water, whether in regards to water conservation, water quality/reliability, alternative water sources, water cleanup, protecting the watershed, or any other local water issue. How that artwork relates to caring for water and to that particular issue is entirely up to the creativity of the participating student.
Submission Rules
Submitted artwork must:
- Be the participating student's original creation without assistance from any other person
- Be fine art, such as painting, sketching, coloring, inks, etc.
- Be no larger than 24" x 36" x 1 1/2"
- Not be 3-dimensional art
- Not be photographic, cinematic, or animated
- Focus on caring for water
- Address local California water concerns
Submissions will not be returned, however, photographs of the artwork to be submitted are acceptable in lieu of the original work. Only one submission will be accepted per submitting student.
The Statement
Every art submission must be accompanied by an artist's statement (see the submission form). The intent of this statement is to describe the work submitted: how it was created, what message it portrays, how the work reflects the theme of caring for water, and any other information the artist would like the judges to know about the work and its creation.
The statement should:
- be at least a paragraph long
- be no more than 500 words
If you have any questions about the statement or accommodations, please contact us at calwaterchallenge@gmail.com.
The Tiers
A Splash of Creativity has four tiers for submission.
- Grades Kindergarten through Two
- Grades Three through Five
- Grades Six through Eight
- Grades Nine through Twelve
Prizes will be distributed for each tier, resulting in sixteen winning entries, four for each grade band listed above.