The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an art contest for local students. The contest, titled 'At the River's Edge', invites students to explore the connections fostered by the Delaware River through their artwork. The contest is open to students in grades 3 through 12 who live in Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Sussex, or Warren counties.
The theme of the contest encourages participants to creatively explore the connections between living things, time periods, and places that exist because of the Delaware River. The artwork should highlight these connections and can be expressed through any medium that can be hung on a wall, such as photographs, paintings, drawings, collages, or quilts. The maximum size for submissions is 36" x 24".
The contest will begin accepting submissions on September 16th and will continue until November 15th. The artwork will be judged by a panel based on creativity, quality, effort, how well the artwork fits the theme, and the overall impact of the artwork. One first-place winner and one runner-up will be selected from each age group. The age groups are divided into 3rd & 4th graders, 5th & 6th graders, 7th & 8th graders, 9th & 10th graders, and 11th & 12th graders.
Winners will be invited to an award ceremony in January, although attendance is not required to receive their prizes. The winning artwork will be displayed in various sites around the park, such as visitor centers, Pocono Environmental Education Center, and Peters Valley School of Craft, throughout 2025. Contest winners will be announced in mid-December.
For more information and to submit artwork, participants can visit the contest's webpage.