In partnership with local water utilities, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is proud to announce the winners of COG’s Water Resources Community Engagement Campaign’s annual “One Water” Regional Art Contest.

The art contest was open to high school-aged students, grades 9 – 12, and featured a grand prize award of $300 for the contest’s two submission categories: Painting & Drawing and Photography & Digital Art.

Prithika Raja, a 9^th grade student at Centreville High School, won first place in the Painting & Drawing category, and Eva Cunha, a 9^th grade student at Lake Braddock Secondary School placed first in Photography & Digital Art.

Honorable mentions, with a $150 cash prize, were awarded to Tuan Nhat Minh Le, a 9^th grade student at Suitland High School in the Painting & Drawing category, and Kaelyn Bush, a 12^th grade student at Gwynn Park High School, for Photography & Digital Art.

Students were asked to create art that portrayed positive messages focused on the region’s water sources while promoting actions that protect local waterways.

Regional water utilities plan to feature the winning artwork in their outreach materials and messaging campaigns.

“We were incredibly impressed by the caliber of art received from our region’s students this year. The thoughtfulness and themes expressed in these pieces reminds us all to cherish our clean, safe water sources, and take action to protect our local waterways for generations to come,” said Marybeth Leongini, External Affairs Manager for Virginia American Water and CEC Chair.

COG and the CEC thank all participants for their thoughtful entries and look forward to future iterations of the One Water Regional Art Contest.
 

Prithika Raja, Centreville High School, 9^th grade, "Handle with Care" Winner: Painting and Drawing

“This piece shows that we have a real effect on water.  Whether we save/conserve it or not is up to us. Our water's future is in our hands.  The medium is colored pencils.”

Eva Cunha, Lake Braddock Secondary School, 9^th grade, “The Riverkeepers” Winner: Photography and Digital Art

“This image shows three people using and helping out in their local river, to the left a woman is drinking the rivers water after a hike, and to the right a girl is cleaning up the river.”

Tuan Nhat Minh Le, Suitland High School, 9^th grade, “Save Every Drop of Water” Honorable Mention: Painting and Drawing

“The painting depicts a leaky water pipe. Two people are trying to save the water and a child watering a plant from the falling water. The background is early morning in Washington DC.”

Kaelyn Bush, Gwynn Park High School, 12^th grade, “Save Water Sources Before Clean Water is a Luxury” Honorable Mention: Photo and Digital Art

"I depict people cleaning up their local water sources. Unlike the majority of society today, They recognized the ever-so-important issue of water source protection. We need to act now before we can't.​"