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 2023 “I Love My County Because…” art contest.

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 K-12 to create artwork for the 2024 “Counties Matter” calendar, NACo hopes to raise awareness about programs and services that impact people’s lives every day.

2022 Winners

Eligibility

• Only students living in the United States who are in grades K through 12 are eligible.
• Each submission must be original artwork created during 2023 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" wide x 8.5" tall (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…”. Submitted artwork should reflect the spirit of the statement submitted. See Deadline and Submission Requirements section for detailed information needed in statement.

Deadline and Submission Requirements

• Students from all U.S. counties, boroughs and parishes are eligible to enter.
• Submissions will be accepted beginning April 24 and ending September 29, 2023, at 11:59 PM.
• Students must submit their artwork for consideration by clicking the "get started" button above.
  • The artwork must be submitted as a PDF or JPEG.
  • For digital art or graphic design submissions, the design must be 300 dpi at 11” wide by 8.5” tall and RGB color.
• An artist’s statement must be submitted in application form for consideration and should include:
  • Student’s Name
  • Age
  • Grade Level*
  • School or Program
  • County, State
  • “I Love My County Because ___.” In 1-2 sentences explain what you love about your county
• Only one submission per student is allowed. 
• There is no entry fee.
• If you are a winner, your original artwork will be expected to be mailed to the NACo Headquarters at:
  • National Association of Counties
    660 N. Capitol St. NW, Suite 400
    Washington, DC 20001
    Attention: Alyx Hawkins, Public Affairs

* No artwork will be returned once received by NACo