In an effort to bolster civic education and educate communities on the role of county government, the National Association of Counties (NACo) is launching the 2022 “I Love My County Because” art contest in conjunction with National County Government Month.

The program is sponsored by Americans for the Arts, one of the nation’s largest arts advocacy and research organizations.

NACo and county leaders are spreading the word about county roles and responsibilities, which are often unknown or misunderstood. By inviting children and young adults ages 18 and under to create artwork for the 2023 “Counties Matter” calendar, NACo hopes to raise awareness about programs and services that impact people’s lives every day.

Winning artwork will be featured in a NACo calendar, which will be distributed to NACo members nationwide. Winners will also be announced in NACo’s flagship publication, County News, and their artwork will be displayed at NACo’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Eligibility

• Only students living in the United States, who are 18 years of age and younger in grades 1 through 12 are eligible during 2021 and 2022.
• Each submission must be original artwork created in the current school year by one student.

Artwork guidelines

• Submitted artwork must present a county activity that shows how “Counties Matter” and inspired by the sentence “I love my county because…”
• The artwork must reflect some aspect of a county government function, service or program, to celebrate National County Government Month.
• The artwork must be horizontal 11" x 8.5" (PDF or JPEG). The most important elements of the artwork must not extend beyond 10.5" 8" to account for trimming during the calendar production process.

Judging criteria

• Technical skill: The artwork must display artistic skill in painting, drawing or digital art.
• Creativity: The artwork must be original in its expression of a personal vision or voice. It must be the student's own work and cannot be plagiarized or in violation of any copyright.
• Artist’s statement: Along with the artwork, each student is required to submit a statement that explains how “Counties Matter” in their community or complete the sentence “I love my county because…”
• Each entry must include the artist’s name, grade, school, county and contact information (for the student, a parent or guardian’s email address and phone number) and a teacher (email address and phone numbers).

Deadline and submission requirements

• The competition submission period closes October 7, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Students must submit their artwork for consideration at this link or by clicking the button below.
• The artwork must be submitted as a PDF or JPEG. (Winners will be notified and asked to mail their original artwork to NACo.)
• The artist’s statement including name, age, grade level, school, teacher or art teacher and contact information for a guardian or teacher must be submitted as a .doc or .docx file. 
• For digital art or graphic design submissions, the design must be 300 dpi and RGB color.
• Only one submission per student is allowed. 
• There is no entry fee.
• Please mail original artwork to:
  NACo
  660 N. Capitol St. NW, Suite 400
  Washington, DC 20001
  Attention: Leon Lawrence III, Design Director

• Submit Artwork

Sample Social Media Posts for the “I Love My County Because” Art Contest

• Submit your artwork today for NACo’s “I Love My County Because” art contest – a newly launched addition to National County Government Month #NCGM www.naco.org/ncgm
• Students across the country are invited to participate in the “I Love My County Because” art contest! Winning artwork will be featured in a NACo calendar and at the NACo headquarters in Washington, D.C. #ncgm www.naco.org/ncgm
• Get the students in your county engaged in National County Government Month! Submit your artwork for consideration for our “I Love My County Because” art contest today at www.naco.org/ncgm #ncgm

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