In the 2027 KidWind Energy Art Challenge, we are asking students in Kindergarten-12th grade to explore the different forms of water power through art. We encourage students to creatively engage with the form of water energy of their choice, such as hydropower, wave power, tidal power, and ocean thermal energy. Think about if there is a form of water power that would work best in your area, or imagine a different community powered by water.

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 an image for submission. For example, the entirety of 3D art must be displayed in the submitted image.
  • 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 short artist statement..
  • The statement must be 2-3 sentences long.
  • 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.
  • Describe your artwork and how it connects to this year's theme.
• 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 (date TBD), 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.
• Artwork displayed at the 2027 Clean Currents Conference.