The California city of Roseville sponsors an annual art contest to engage children in learning about their community-owned utilities and the importance of water services in their lives.
The competition began during the COVID pandemic as an activity for kids during a time of social distancing to keep them connected with their community of 150,000 residents in the Sacramento metropolitan area.
The city operates two wastewater treatment facilities with a combined 30 mgd capacity. It maintains 505 miles of sewer mainlines and 246 miles of sewer laterals and delivers 1 billion gallons of recycled water annually.
Variable themes
The competition is sponsored by Roseville Environmental Utilities and Roseville Electric. It was created in 2021 under the leadership of public information officers Maurice Chaney and Erin Frye.
Students 17 and younger are eligible. Four age groups are judged: 4 and under, 5 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 17. Paul Krug, environmental utilities marketing and communications analyst, now manages the contest. He and his staff select a new theme each year: Utility Superheroes for 2024 and Roseville Utility Trucks for 2025.
The contest is promoted through the city’s multiple Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts, and through printed and online newsletters. It is also publicized with flyers distributed by the Roseville Utility Exploration Center, an interactive museum where children and adults can learn about the utilities’ services and how to conserve water and resources.
Picking the winners
The art entries average about 100 per year. Krug and staff from both departments pick their top three entries in each age group according to established judging criteria. Those entries are then posted online, and members of the public are invited to vote.
The contest has attracted as many as 2,500 votes from residents. The entry from each age group with the most votes becomes a community choice winner. All 12 finalists’ work is placed into a Youth Art Contest calendar that residents and guests can pick up for free at the Utility Exploration Center.
“The children are so creative,” says Krug. “For the superheroes theme, one entry had a Water Lady, and another had a Composting Kitty. The children even dressed the superheroes in utility uniforms.”
This year, each community choice winner received a basket of art supplies, utility merchandise and a winner’s certificate. Finalists’ entries are also displayed at the Utility Exploration Center and on digital billboards on the freeway.
Krug observes, “Parents send us pictures of their child with the billboard and their winning entry in the background.”
