In the 2027 KidWind Energy Art Challenge, we are asking students in Kindergarten-12th grade to imagine water power through art. Think creatively about the many ways water can create movement, energy, and power, and what those possibilities might look like. Explore water in its natural and human made forms, as a force that can push and move like a wave, as steam that expands, rises, and creates pressure, or as falling water that can turn a wheel or turbine.

What does water power mean to you? What could it look like, and where could your imagination take it?

Now, create a work of art that explores the possibilities of water power!

If you need more information about water power or inspiration to get started, check out the Resources and Inspiration section for water power examples and work by artists.

New this year: Each artist must submit a brief (2-3 sentences) artist statement alongside your art to help us better understand your vision and intentions. 

In this statement, tell us about your artwork! What is your artwork showing? Describe your artwork and how it connects to this year's theme. Keep your answer short — one or two sentences each is perfect. If the student is too young to write, the student should tell the submitting adult what they want to say and they should type it for them, exactly as it is said. For these younger students, adults might ask: What is happening in your picture?

• Participation
  • Participation is free!
  • Only K-12th grade students may participate.
  • Only one submission per student.
• Artwork
  • Artwork must speak to the theme outlined above.
  • Artwork can be any size, as long as it can be captured in a digital photo for submission. For example, the entirety of 3D art must be displayed in the submitted photo.
  • Original hand-made artwork only. No digitally created artwork.
  • No adult assistance in the creation of the artwork allowed.
  • No AI assistance in the creation of the artwork is allowed.
  • All hand-made mediums (drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking, textile arts, etc.) are accepted using any media (pencil, crayon, markers, watercolor, acrylic, linocut, rubber, fabric, foil, etc.) generated by the artist.
  • Pre-made illustrations not from the artist cannot be used.
  • Mixed media artwork is acceptable (ex. collage and painting together).
• Artist Statement
  • Artwork must be accompanied by a 2-3 sentence long artist statement.
  • The statement must reflect the student’s own words and ideas. If the student is too young to write or needs help writing, an adult can record what the student says exactly or as closely to what they said as possible. 
  • The statement can not be generated by artificial intelligence. AI tools (such as ChatGBT, Gemini, or Copilot) cannot be used to write or rewrite any part of the statement.
  • Share what inspired your idea, what you created, how the water power works, or what you like most about your artwork.
• Submission
  • A teacher, coach, parent, or guardian 18 or older must fill out the form linked below on behalf of the student and provide contact information. The adult can submit applications for an unlimited number of students.

• Submissions Open: October 16, 2026 –  February 1, 2027
• Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM PDT on February 1, 2027
• Winners Announced: By March 19, 2027

Submissions will be evaluated by grade level and according to the following criteria:

Sixteen winners will be selected across Kindergarten-12th grade levels, distributed proportionally based on the number of submissions we receive in each grade.

Winners will receive:

• Award
• Artwork displayed on the KidWind Art Challenge webpage.

Here are some creative suggestions and prompts to help you think about this year’s theme. Students are not required to use these prompts, but may find them helpful:

• The power in water can be harnessed by mechanical means and turned into electricity like hydrodams, run of river turbines, pumped storage hydro, and tidal or wave turbines. Imagine what that looks like from the inside, and how that works. This can be an actual diagram or an imaginary one.
• There are many types of communities of organisms that live in or near water, humans being one of them. How does the push and pull of water shape those communities?
• Water power can also mean healing power, spiritual power, and life giving power. Many cultures past and present see water as a spiritual being, deity, or lifeforce. Think about what those beings might look like, and how they might be positive forces of nature that can impact the communities they are part of. Or make up your own water power character doing good for the community!
• Think of the scientists and engineers making mechanical devices that can make water do work in a way that is good for the environment.
• Do you know of or have a hydrodam near you? What does that look like and how is it powering the community?
• What ways have you noticed that water can push and pull, doing work on objects and organisms? Imagine being in a body or river of water, and feel the power within the waves, the pull of a current in a river, or the push down from water falling from above. What else is affected by the movement of water? How can you tell?