The winning entries will be featured on the pages of the County’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). The County’s strategic plan has goals to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2027, by 100 percent by 2035 and reduce climate-related risk.
“One of the best ways we are going to ensure that we will make significant change toward combatting climate change is to educate our children about it,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “It was wonderful to see all the creative entries to this contest and witness how important saving the environment is to our youngest generation. I hope the sense of urgency we have today about administering polices and actions to combat climate change will help their future tomorrows.”
The winning entries receive cash prizes. Nearly 200 entries were received in a variety of artistic forms including paintings, drawings, sculpture, digital art and spoken word.
“Art has the power to connect with us through the heart. Communicating the urgency of climate change using art can help move people to action,” said Adriana Hochberg, a County assistant chief administrative officer and its climate change coordinator. “I was moved by the quality and creativity of artwork that we received from County residents of all ages.”
The winners were selected across the following five categories and prompts:
- Engage! - What is the connection between community and climate?
- Sound the Climate Alarm! - Capture the emergency of climate change
- Adaptation - How can our community adapt to a rapidly changing world?
- Environmental/Climate Justice - Capture who will be disproportionately impacted by climate change’s effects.
- Future vision of Montgomery County - What the County would look like in 2035 if we meet our GHG goals in an equitable way.
The contest winners and the categories in which they were selected:
- Avani Ambardekar (Future Vision of Montgomery County)
- Eunice Ewusie (Future Vision of Montgomery County)
- Shani Glassberg (Engage)
- Chayse Graydon (Engage)
- Ami Hernandez (Sound the Climate Alarm)
- Samantha Kent (Sound the Climate Alarm)
- Reagan Lentz (Environmental/Climate Justice)
- Sophia Liang (Environmental/Climate Justice)
- Laney Parker (Sound the Climate Alarm)
- Yoonah Suh (Sound the Climate Alarm)
- Krish Wahi (Adaptation)
- Lillian Weisburger (Sound the Climate Alarm)
- Alexandra Wu (Adaptation)
More information about Montgomery County’s climate change initiatives can be found at: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/green/climate/index.html.
