For the past six years the Town of Davie has been a state-recognized winner of the AWWA Florida Section children’s water poster contest.

The Drop Savers Water Conservation Poster Contest is open to grades K-12. “Being recognized at the state level is a real testament to the creativity and commitment of the students and educators in our community to the preservation of the earth’s natural resources,” says Renuka Mohammed, utilities director.

Davie (population 105,000) lies 24 miles north of Miami. It has two drinking water treatment plants with a total 10 mgd capacity. One plant draws water from the shallow Biscayne Aquifer and the other from the deep Floridian Aquifer.

Rules and Regs

Children are encouraged to create posters showing their idea of water conservation in slogan or drawing form, or both, on a standard sheet of white paper. They can use paint, crayons, colored pencils or markers, but no highlighters, photos or computer graphics.

The poster contest promotes the importance of water conservation in homes and in daily routines. Posters are judged in five divisions:

1. Grades K-1

2. Grades 2-3

3. Grades 4-5

4. Grades 6-8

5. High school

The students must create the posters with no help from family or friends. The contest begins in January, and all entries must be submitted by Earth Day in April.

Promoting the Program

The Davie Utilities Department works with K-12 art and science teachers to ensure the program’s success. To encourage participation, the utility delivers drawing paper to the schools, and staff members are available to answer any questions.

The town works with AWWA and the South Florida Water Management District to provide water conservation materials, posters and flyers to the children and educators. SFWMD is a regional agency that manages the water resources in the southern half of Florida, covering 16 counties from Orlando to the Florida Keys; it serves a population 9 million.

2021 marked the contest’s 24th year; Davie has taken part for the past six years. The initiative was championed by Isabella Slagle, the town’s former compliance specialist. “Our employees, the students and the teachers really enjoy this contest,” says Mohammed. “It’s a nice way to connect with the schools to promote water conservation in a fun and creative way.”

Judges and prizes

Judging for the Davie entries is open to all utility employees. The posters are displayed in the administration building, and the judges rate them on creativity, messaging and originality. Natural artistic ability is not a requirement. First place winners from the five divisions are recognized by the town, and their posters are displayed in the town hall. 

Winners receive a gift bag that includes a certificate, gift cards, water bottles, school supplies and water conservation educational materials. The items are donated by businesses such as Publix Super Markets, ACE Educational Supply Store, Dairy Queen, utility vendors and utility engineering consultants. Teachers are recognized during the town hall meeting and receive water conservation materials to use in their classrooms.

In previous years, winners have been recognized at town council meetings. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the schools along with teachers and students were notified by telephone and email of the recognition. The student winners received their prize bags by mail.

The winning posters from the local contest go on to the Florida AWWA state competition. The first, second and third place winners from each division receive $100, $75 and $50 gift cards. All participants receive a $15 gift card, and the judges and volunteers receive a coffee mug with the image of the winners.