Waste Reduction and Recycling Art Contest

Hillsborough County students in grades 3-12 are invited to participate in the Recycling & Waste Reduction Art Contest

Each year, students are encouraged to express their creativity and desire to protect the environment by creating an original piece of artwork inspired by the annual theme and submit it for judging. See the Program Resources section below for County waste reduction and recycling guidelines, and to learn more about how to submit.

Theme

“Create a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Hero! Show us a hero whose powers help our community reduce waste and protect the environment.”

Create an original hero that helps protect our community by reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling properly. Show their powers, tools, or actions that help our community reduce waste and protect the environment.

2025 Art Contest Winners

2024 Art Contest Winners

Rules and eligibility

Submitted artwork must be created solely by the student and be entirely original. Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs are not acceptable to create or assist in making any art piece submission type.
Open to students entering 3rd through 12th grade. Must be attending an Elementary, Middle, or High School or are home-schooled within Hillsborough County to be eligible.
Do not include your name, age, grade, or school on the artwork—this information should only be provided in the submission form.
Do not include any brand names, logos, or other brand-identifying information in your submission. Submissions that include these details will not be considered for judging.
Do not use, reproduce, or adapt existing artwork that is not yours. Your submission should be original.

Set up for success: waste reduction and recycling program resources

Check out these webpages for reduce, reuse, and recycling information to inspire your artwork submission.

Submission deadline

All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM, November 30 each year.

Judging

Hillsborough County staff will judge submissions. Three winners will be selected, one from each range: 3rd grade through 5th grade; 6th grade through 8th grade; and 9th grade through 12th grade.

Winners

Winners will be selected in January and receive countywide recognition and waste reduction-themed prizes.

Countywide recognition

2024 Waste Reduction and Recycling Art Contest featured on Solid Waste vehicle. This could be YOU!

Submission types

Types are subject to change by contest.

Drawing - Submit a drawing using any drawing tools, including digital tools, such as Photoshop
Collage - Submit a collage using drawings, photographs, and/or other materials

Other types of submissions will not be considered for judging.

Upload submission

Submit online by completing the Waste Reduction & Recycling Art Contest Form.

Questions

Please contact the Waste Reduction & Recycling Team at Recycling@HCFL.gov.