*About the Campus Sustainability Fund*
The Campus Sustainability Fund has helps to support programs and initiatives that raise environmental awareness and develop conservation-minded students. Students learn about the importance of being environmental stewards through demonstration projects like green roofs, LEED certified building projects, recycling and composting improvements, and water and energy conservation initiatives.
An Art Competition FUNDRAISER for the Campus Sustainability Fund.
Help promote environmental awareness through artistic expression while contributing to a GREEN CAUSE!
Categories
2-D or 3-D Recycled Art
Find odds and ends lying around and turn them into ART! (Art only)
For this category, we encourage you to get creative with junk. Literally. There are many fine examples of 3-D sculpture work done with recycled materials. Maybe you want to make an insect out of welded pieces, or a mobile out of tin cans. The sky is the limit with this category. First place winner receives cash prize, second and third place receive compensatory prizes, and top 3 winners will have their work exhibited in the Art Space in Willimantic for 3 weeks in December, and in the Homer Babbidge Library for 2 weeks in February, with option to sell the piece at both venues.
Nature and the Environment
Artistic celebration of the natural world. (2-D Art, Photography, Poetry)
For this category, we encourage you to celebrate this wonderful world we live in. Original poetry, photography, and 2-dimensional artwork will be accepted. Give us your wildlife photos, fractal photography, landscape paintings, odes, sunsets, etc. First place winner in each media (art, photography, poetry) receives cash prize, second and third place winners receive compensatory prizes, and top 5 winners in each category will have their work exhibited in the Art Space in Willimantic for 3 weeks in December, and in the Homer Babbidge Library for 2 weeks in February, with option to sell the piece at both venues. There will also be a live reading of top 9 winning poetry entries in Willimantic.
People in the Environment
An interpretation of how human beings interact with the environment. (2-D Art, Photography, Poetry)
For this category, we are asking you to depict people interacting with the environment or natural world. We will accept everything from snowboarders and hikers to gardens and farmers. Think children at camp; think vacation shots of local spear fishers; think poetic expressions of how you feel about the natural world around you. The only limitation in this one is that each entry should focus on a person or on people, and should have a clear environmental connection. First place winner in each media (art, photography, poetry) receives cash prize, second and third place winners receive compensatory prizes, and top 5 winners in each category will have their work exhibited in the Art Space in Willimantic for 3 weeks in December, and in the Homer Babbidge Library for 2 weeks in February, with option to sell the piece at both venues. There will also be a live reading of top 9 winning poetry entries in Willimantic.
Environmental Awareness
Art depicting environmental concerns, issues, themes and/or solutions. (2-D Art, photography, poetry)
For this category, we are asking you to depict environmental sustainability [or lack thereof] in any manner you choose. This is where documentary style photos, activist artwork, and expressionist poetry about an issue are all equally welcome. Have you done work in the developing world? Submit photos of your solutions. Passionate about an environmental cause? Put your ideas into artwork. Outraged by policy? Write about it a poetic rant. You are limited only by imagination in this one.
WINNERS OF EACH CATEGORY WILL WIN A CASH PRIZE!
First place winner in each media (art, photography, poetry) receives cash prize, second and third place winners receive compensatory prizes, and top 7 winners in each category will have their work exhibited in the Art Space in Willimantic for 3 weeks in December, and in the Homer Babbidge Library for 2 weeks in February, with option to sell the piece at both venues. There will also be a live reading of top 9 winning poetry entries in Willimantic.
Entrance Fees/ CSF Donation Amounts:
| Original Artwork | Original Photography | Original Poetry | |
| Under 15 Years Old | Free | Free | Free |
| Current UConn Student | $5 | $3 | $2 |
| Current UConn Staff/Faculty | $10 | $7 | $5 |
| Non-UConn Affiliated Adult | $12 | $10 | $7 |
Prizes
| Category | Artwork Prize | Photography Prize | Poetry Prize |
| 2-D or 3-D Recycled Artwork | $75 | n/a | n/a |
| Nature and the Environment | $80 | $60 | $30 |
| People in the Environment | $80 | $60 | $30 |
| Environmental Awareness | $80 | $60 | $30 |
Since such an important focus of our department is climate change, we are awarding one special cash prize of $50 each to the poem, piece of artwork, and photograph that best depicts the theme of climate change. Climate change conversations focus on strategies for mitigation of climate change effects, expected impacts of climate change, and adaptive strategies for dealing with climate change. You may choose to focus on one of these topics, or to focus on how climate change is affecting daily life, society and culture. Maybe you have an idea for responding to climate change denial; or maybe you have your own questions and doubts. There are many different directions you could go with this. Art and poetic expression are very powerful tools in the climate change debate. The winner of this prize may be a winner of another category, or may be its own stand-alone category. Winners of the Climate Change Award will receive a cash prize, and will have their work displayed in all venues, with the option to sell their art or photograph.
Questions? Concerns? Contact the Office of Environmental Policy at 860-486-5773 or contact rachael.shenyo@uconn.edu