Announcing Tainted Waters: Art for Truth Contest Winners!
Across Hawai‘i, keiki and ʻōpio are raising their voices through art and poetry to speak the truth about our tainted waters. The Tainted Waters: Art for Truth contest invited students from kindergarten through high school to share their vision for protecting our wai, our communities, and our future.
From vivid paintings to moving poems, these submissions reflect deep care for our islands, a call to protect what is sacred, and a reminder that our young people are leading the way in demanding clean, safe water for all.
We are excited to announce this year’s winners and to showcase all of the incredible artwork and poetry submitted. Mahalo to every student who participated for your creativity, courage, and commitment to telling this important story. Your work inspires hope and strengthens our collective resolve to protect our wai.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Winners
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
1st Place
Title: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne
Name: ʻIhilani Unabia
Grade: 4th
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
2nd Place
Title: Waiola Maʻemaʻe
Name: Anela Marino
Grade: 3rd
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
3rd Place
Name: Hilo Lewis
Grade: 4th
Elementary: Grades K-2 Winners
Grade K-2
1st Place
Title: Water Future
Name: Reef Bougard
Grade: 2nd
Grades K-2
2nd Place
Title: Water
Name: Avni Torres
Grade: 1st
Grades K-2
3rd Place
Title: Stop Poisoning Our WAI
Name: Sun Butts
Grade: 2nd
Elementary: Grades 3-5 Winners
Grades 3-5
1st Place
Title: Invincible
Name: Lola Bougard
Grade: 5th
Grades 3-5
2nd Place
Name: Kexin Chen
Grade: 5th
Grade 3-5
3rd Place
Name: Savannah Antonio
Grade: 4th
Middle School Winners
Middle School
1st Place
Name: Hiʻilei Okouchi
Grade: 8th
Middle School
2nd Place
Title: A Single Question
Name: Elliot Lomuscio
Grade: 8th
Middle School
3rd Place
Name: Lucy Bui
Grade: 8th
High School Winners
High School
1st Place
Title: Our Wai
Name: Emily Oliver
Grade: 9th
High School
2nd Place
Title: Tainted
Name: Maggie Cheng
Grade: 11th
High School
3rd Place
Name: Kaʻilima Chock
Grade: 11th
Honorable Mentions: Elementary, Grades 3-5
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Honorable Mentions: Middle School
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Honorable Mentions: High School
Other Entries: Poetry - Elementary, Grades 3-5
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Other Entries: ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi - Mele
Other Entries: Poetry - Middle School
Other Entries: Poetry - High School
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Other Entries: ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi - Visual Art and Mele
Other Entries: Visual Art - Elementary, Grades K-2
Other Entries: Visual Art - Elementary, Grades 3-5
Other Entries: Visual Art - Middle School
Other Entries: Visual Art - High School
Tainted Waters: Art for Truth Contest Information
The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi and Artists + Poets for Clean Water in partnership with the Pacific American Foundation and Hawaiʻi People's Fund, invites keiki and ʻōpio from all islands to submit their entries for our youth art contest, Tainted Waters: Art for Truth. If you’re an artist or poet in grades K-12, these are your last few weeks to showcase your creativity and commitment to protecting Hawaiʻi’s ʻāina and wai.
The US Navy’s Red Hill fuel storage facility poisoned thousands and left the future of Oʻahu’s drinking water uncertain. Through art and poetry, you can help bring awareness to this ongoing crisis and stand with youth across the pae ʻāina in demanding justice.
Our theme, “Confronting Reality, Rising in Resistance,” challenges you to explore powerful questions: What are ways you protect water? Why is water worth fighting for? What is the future of water?
We are also excited to announce a new special award—ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi! There will be an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi prize awarded for each age division. If a winner is selected for both their age division and this special award, they will receive only the highest-value prize.
Submissions Deadline: April 30, 2025 (previously March 24)
Divisions:
Lower Elementary: grades K-2
Upper Elementary: grades 3-5
Middle School: grades 6-8
High School: grades 9-12
Prizes: $300 first prize, $200 second prize, $100 third prize + special ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi award
Guidelines:
This contest is open to both visual artwork and poetry. First place winners and runners up will be chosen in either poetry or visual art.
Artwork and poetry must reflect the theme, “Confronting Reality, Rising in Resistance” in some way. However, these words do not need to appear in the artwork or poetry itself.
For visual artwork submissions, we will accept digital, fiber, ceramic, sculpture, painting and ink mediums. Please be prepared to submit a high-quality image of your artwork for our review.
For poetry submissions, we will accept mele, free verse or metered poetry, and song lyrics. Poetry in languages other than English are welcome, please provide a translation. Please limit poetry submissions to one poem that is 2 pages or less.
Students must create their own artwork/poetry. No AI generated or plagiarized work will be accepted.
Artwork or poetry that includes hate speech or hateful content will not be accepted.
Students may submit up to two entries. For example, you may submit one poem and one drawing, or two drawings.
All entries (both emailed and mailed) must be accompanied by submission of this google form.
All entries must include the studentʻs name, grade and school. For emailed submissions, please include this information on the file name. For mailed submissions, please include this information on the back of the artwork or poem.
How to Submit
Fill out This Entry Form (required for all emailed and mailed entries)
Choose an entry option
Email your submission to SierraClubArtContest@gmail.com. Please include the studentʻs name, grade and school in the file name (For example: Emalia Diaz.3rd grade.KamalieAcademy). For poetry submissions, please save files in PDF form. For visual art submissions, please include a high quality photo of your artwork.
Mail your submission to Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi PO Box 2577 Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 96803. Please include the studentʻs name, grade and school on the back of the artwork or poem. Please note that original artwork/poems may not be returned.
Rights & Licensing
By submitting an entry, an entrant assures that the artwork/poem is an original work, and the entrant is the sole owner of all rights to the work. An entrant also agrees to allow the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi to post their artwork/poem, name, and grade on the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi website and social media platforms without compensation unless prohibited. Each entrant retains his/her/their rights to their work but grants to the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the artwork/poem, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion.
Mahalo to our contest sponsors:
