Student Competitions

We are partnering with Hamilton County Department of Education to lift the voices of regional students for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Let us know why sustainability is important to you!

Pick one or more topics from our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan to focus your work:

Energy, Water, Mobility, Resilient Communities, Ecosystems, or Materials and Waste

The competition is open to students and schools that live in in counties in the Thrive Regional Partnership: Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Bradley, and Hamilton, TN; Dade, Catoosa, Walker, Whitfield, Murray, GA, and Dekalb and Jackson, AL. Public, charter, private, and home school entries are welcome.

Prizes

We will announce the winning entries for each category and for each education level, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools.

STUDENT Grand Prize (1) per category

Public recognition at 50th Anniversary of Earth Day Eco Field Day and $500 scholarship to college or summer program

STUDENT HONORABLE MENTION Prizes (At least 1 per category and per education level)

Public recognition at 50th Anniversary of Earth Day Eco Field Day and one of the following: tickets to Lookouts Green Power Night courtesy of EPB; family passes to Ruby Falls courtesy of Ruby Falls; Additional prizes will be announced soon!

SCHOOL GRAND PRIZE

One free tree planted on grounds, subject to necessary approvals, and one day of service on project of the school’s choosing courtesy of Sustainability Professionals of Greater Chattanooga

 
 
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Video competition

Pick one or more topics from our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, create a video between 1 and 5 minutes about its importance to you and your community. Post it to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, or other social media (with your parent or guardian’s permission) and submit a link to us along with your school, name, and age by April 14. Individual and team submissions are welcome.

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written work competition

Pick one or more topics from our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, and submit an original essay or poem about it. Essays should be 300-500 words for High School Students, 200-400 words for Middle School Students, 100-300 words for Elementary School Students. Entries are due by April 14. Individual entries only. 1MB max file size.

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art work competition

Pick one or more topics from our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and create an original work of art using sustainable materials or subjects. Artwork can be painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, graphic design, and really anything else other than video or written work. Submit a 200-400 word description and one image of the artwork by April 10. Selected work will be displayed at Eco Field Day in Miller Park on April 14. Individual entries only. 1MB max file size.

Green School Competition

According to US Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools: “A green school is about more than curriculum, more than programming and more than bricks and mortar. It’s a school that supports global sustainability in every way. A green school begins with the future in mind, designing a learning experience for students that will prepare them to lead the world toward a healthier, cleaner, more sustainable future.”

Use this form to tell us how your school is working to make the Chattanooga region more sustainable and inspiring the next generation of green leaders!

Schools must be located in counties in the Thrive Regional Partnership: Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Bradley, and Hamilton, TN; Dade, Catoosa, Walker, Whitfield, Murray, GA, and Dekalb and Jackson, AL.

Fine print for competitions:

  • Students and schools that enter must located in counties in the Thrive Regional Partnership: Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Bradley, and Hamilton, TN; Dade, Catoosa, Walker, Whitfield, Murray, GA, and Dekalb and Jackson, AL.

  • There is no fee for entry.

  • Video and written entries will be judged for quality of content (25 points), persuasive quality (25 points), accuracy and grammar (25 points),

  • Art entries will be judged for creativity (25 points), quality of work (25 points), use of sustainable materials/subject (25 points)

  • School entries will be judged for Energy (10 points), Water (10 points), Mobility (10 points), Thriving Communities (10 points), Ecosystems (10 points), and Materials/Waste Reduction (10 points)

  • Only submit original work. Use of plagiarized or copyright material not properly cited, will result in disqualification.

  • All video and written work shall submit citations if selected as a finalist.

  • While students will retain copyright ownership of their work, by submitting their work to this competition, permission is granted to Greenspaces and its partners to reproduce, distribute, and display the student’s work.

  • All video and written work material must be digital. Elementary School students may submit scanned handwritten work.

  • No professional assistance is permitted. Adults may only provide verbal guidance for video production.