Next 50 Years of Golden Gate Poster Contest

 

Drawing of Hummingbird flapping wings with a big red 50 on top.

Cristina Martinez

"How can lessons from the past shape our decisions for the future?

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the park is hosting an art contest for local fourth grade classes. This art contest is in conjunction with a classroom lesson highlighting the different periods of Golden Gate’s history. Using the essential question, "How can lessons from the past shape our decisions for the future?”, students will learn about the park’s rich and complex history. The artwork will be an opportunity for students to use their knowledge from the lesson plan and showcase their vision for the next 50 years.

To access the lesson plan, click here.

To access the lesson presentation, click here.

 

Who Can Enter?

The contest is ONLY open to 4th grade classrooms located in the Bay Area. Entries will be judged based on originality, creativity, and how well the submission addresses the contest theme. NOTE: You may only submit one piece of art per classroom.

*Title I classes are highly encouraged to register!

How Do I Participate?

Step 1: Completed registration form emailed to [e-mail] no later than January 15th, 2023. Classes MUST register first to be considered.
Step 2. Lead the lesson with your students.
Step 3: Design a class poster that relates to the questions in the lesson. All artwork should be on 11' x 17' paper.

Step 4: A digital copy of the artwork must be RECEIVED by January 28th, 2023 to [e-mail]. Make sure to include 3-5 sentences in your email describing your artwork.

• Artwork must be scanned and submitted as a print quality PDF. No pictures of the artwork will be accepted.

What Should The Artwork Include?

The class artwork should focus on the art contest theme “Next 50 Years of Golden Gate” and include some depiction of components of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. One of the largest urban parks in the world, GGNRA welcomes over 17 million visitors a year. It protects various places such as Muir Woods, Alcatraz Island, Crissy Field, the Marin Headlands, Fort Point NHS, and Rancho Corral de Tierra. Some examples of features you might include:

• Natural features such as coast redwoods, marshes, beaches, cliffs, wildlife, etc.
• People of the Park has consisted of the Ramaytush Ohlone, Coast Miwok, Spanish colonists, military forces such as the Buffalo Soldiers, immigrant communities that have influenced Golden Gate, etc.
• Historic structures such as Fort Point, Battery Chamberlain, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Sutro Baths, etc.

The artwork has to be an original drawing or sketch made ONLY with the following mediums: pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, markers, and construction paper. No photoshop, digital art, or other mediums allowed. You may depict 3D scences, but all submitted artwork must be 2D and flat. No copyright images or text (i.e. logos, Disney characters, etc). Please be mindful of depictions that could portray people in a negative and inaccurate manner. No parent or guardian help allowed.

Questions To Help You Get Started

To help you get started on your class’s vision for the next 50 years, here are some questions:

• What are some of the most unique features of your park’s landscape?
• How have different people used the land throughout time?
• What inspires you from the park’s history?
• What do you want to see protected in 50 years?
• What’s your favorite place and what do you enjoy about it?

* Please Refer to the Lesson Plan

How Will The Artwork Be Judged?

Each piece must be original, authentic, unpublished, the sole property of the entrant, and not previously submitted in any other contest. The artwork will be judged by a panel of park staff on originality, creativity, quality, imagination, and relevance to the theme.

The Top Three entries will be awarded prizes and displayed on the GGNRA website by February 2023. The awards granted to winners will consist of:

• 1st Place: Kid Day Hiking Backpacks
• 2nd Place: Class set of "Redwoods" book by Jason Chin
• 3rd Place: Golden Gate Reusable Water Bottles

 

Disclaimer
By submitting an entry, an entrant agrees to allow the National Park Service to use his or her name to post on the NPS web sites, without compensation unless prohibited. All entries and all rights of ownership in and to the entries, including all rights to use, reproduce, publish, modify, edit, and distribute the same will become the exclusive property of NPS and will not be returned. NPS reserves the right to edit, modify, copyright, publish, use, and reproduce any and all entries without further compensation. The National Park Service, its agents and contractor, are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or postage-due entries. Contest void where prohibited or restricted by law.