SDCW 2026 Youth Poster Contest

Calling All 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Students in San Diego!

We are looking for young artists to help us kick off the 2nd annual San Diego Climate Week (SDCW) by submitting poster designs that show the world what Unity looks like in our local environment.

Whether it’s the air we breathe, the water we drink and play in, or the land we walk on, how do we all work together to protect our home planet?

Your poster submission should celebrate San Diego Climate Week’s 2026 theme of Unity through one (or all!) of the five natural elements: Air, Water, Land, Fire, and People. We encourage you to include San Diego landmarks, local nature, and bright colors!

How to Enter

Create: Design — by hand — your masterpiece on 8.5″ x 11″ paper (vertical/portrait).
Scan: Use a home scanner, library scanner, or a mobile app (like Adobe Scan or Notes) to create a high-quality digital version.
Submit: Fill out our Online Entry Form and upload your design by April 30th.
Save: Keep your original physical artwork in a safe place until August 1st! Finalist will be able to display their artwork at our summits.

Poster Contest Guidelines

Eligibility & Requirements (All entries must meet the following):

Grade Level: The contest is open to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students residing in San Diego County.
Themes: Students can choose one specific element (Air, Water, Land, Fire, or People) or show how they all work together in Unity.
Originality: Each submission must be the student’s own work (no parent, sibling, or teacher assistance allowed). NO Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools allowed. No Copyrighted characters: Please avoid Pokémon, Avatar, Disney, etc.
Quantity: Limit of one (1) entry per student.

Design Specifications

Dimensions: 8.5″ x 11″ (Standard Letter Size)
Orientation: Portrait (vertical) only
Physical Media Format: Use plain white paper (no lined/notebook paper)
Materials: Markers, crayons, pens, colored pencils, paint, paper collage and digital designs are accepted. Please avoid highlighters as they do not scan/print well.
Digital Media Format: JPG or PNG
Scan Resolution: 300 DPI (required for printing)

Judging & Selection Criteria

The Top 25 Finalists will be featured on our website and social media for fan voting. One overall winner will be selected based on a combination of fan voting and the SDCW judging panel. The following will be taken into consideration from the SDCW judging panel:

Unity: How well the design represents the 2026 SDCW theme & the five natural elements: Air, Water, Land, Fire, and People.
San Diego Pride: Inclusion of local landmarks, nature, or regional themes
Visual Impact: Effective use of color and composition
Message: Clarity of the environmental or sustainability message

The Rewards

The Top 25: Your artwork will be featured in our digital gallery for a public “Fan Vote” and displayed at SDCW Summit Events.
The Winner: The overall winner will have their poster displayed at all 5 SDCW Summit Events in October and featured on the official website!

Important Dates

April 1: Contest Launch
April 30 at 11:59 PM PT: Submission Deadline
May 15: Top 25 Finalists Notified
June 1: Top 25 Finalists Announced & Public Fan Voting Begins
June 30 at 11:59 PM PT: Voting Ends
Early August: Official Poster Release & Event Celebration
October 1-8: Winning design displayed at SDCW Summit Events

Questions? Contact us at hello@sdclimateweek.com