FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 18, 2020
Youth were asked “What Water Means to Me,” in the Imagine a Day without Water Art Contest, and the winners have been selected!
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The City of Charlottesville, the Albemarle County Service Authority (ACSA), and the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority (RWSA) partnered in their sixth annual “Imagine a Day without Water” campaign to educate and inspire the community about the value and importance of water. The goal of this campaign is to encourage water conservation in our everyday lives.
The national campaign consists of public awareness, as well as an art contest inviting youth from throughout the City and County to illustrate “What Water Means to Me.” This year, to accommodate COVID-19 precautions, the competition pivoted to receive both traditional as well as digital submittals. Judges from the City, ACSA, and RWSA evaluated the artwork for creativity, originality, and incorporation of the contest’s challenge question. Of the 120 poster entries received from youth in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, one winner was chosen from each of five grade divisions. In addition, the top 60 entries were available to the public to view online and vote for a favorite art poster; with 870 online votes, a fan favorite was selected. All six winners will receive a $200 gift card and a water conservation goodie bag.
The winners for the 2020 Imagine a Day without Water Art Contest are:
- K – 2nd Grade: Ruihan (Jennifer) Xue, Venable Elementary School, Grade 1
- 3rd – 4th Grade: Claudia Van Clief, Peabody School, Grade 4
- 5th – 6th Grade: Ruby Reed Guy-Wolnick, Mountaintop Montessori, Grade 5
- 7th – 8th Grade: Shoukufeh Alizada, Buford Middle School, Grade 7
- 9th – 12th Grade: Emily Zhu, Albemarle High School, Grade 9
- Fan Favorite: Vivian Foutz, Henley Middle School, Grade 6
In addition, teachers were encouraged to promote student participation and four teachers were selected to receive a $200 gift card to be used for classroom projects: Emily Hudson (Greer Elementary School), Brittany Kaufman (Red Hill Elementary School), Nicole Eyerman (Walker Upper Elementary School), and Kimberly Taylor (Village School).
Typically, the hosting organizations hold an awards ceremony to honor the winners; however, they have decided to modify this event due to COVID-19. Check out Cville360 on January 5th, 2021 at 11:00am for a special program honoring our Imagine a Day without Water Art Contest winners and participants. You can tune in through the City’s social media accounts and Channel 10 - and can view later on-demand.
“Each year the City and our partner organizations always look forward to hosting this art contest,” stated Jill Greiner, the City’s Water Efficiency Program Coordinator. “We were worried that COVID-19 would make it more of a challenge to engage the youth in the area, but we are so pleased with the amount of participation and engagement we saw. This year’s participants really impressed us with their messages around water and what water means to them. Their artwork shows us how much our youth value such an essential resource in our community.”
In addition to the art contest, the campaign brings awareness and useful information on how to conserve water. The City and ACSA offer rebates for installing WaterSense labeled toilets and rain barrels, as well as offer water saving devices available for pick up at their respective offices. Lastly, they stress the importance of finding and fixing leaks in homes, as even a small drip can waste 3,000 gallons of water each year.
More information about the Imagine a Day without Water Art contest can be found here: www.charlottesville.gov/artcontest.
More information about Imagine a Day without Water can be found here: http://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/
Media Contact
Jill Greiner
Water Efficiency Program Coordinator
City of Charlottesville
434-970-3877
greinerj@charlottesville.gov
K – 2nd Grade Winner: Ruihan (Jennifer) Xue, Venable Elementary School, Grade 1
3rd – 4th Grade Winner: Claudia Van Clief, Peabody School, Grade 4
5th – 6th Grade Winner: Ruby Reed Guy-Wolnick, Mountaintop Montessori, Grade 5
7th – 8th Grade Winner: Shoukufeh Alizada, Buford Middle School, Grade 7
9th – 12th Grade Winner: Emily Zhu, Albemarle High School, Grade 9
Fan Favorite Winner: Vivian Foutz, Henley Middle School, Grade 6