Georgia Arbor Day 2027
Student Art Contest Rules
2027 Georgia Arbor Day is Friday, Feb. 19, 2027
Entries Accepted 11/01/26 – 1/31/27
One of our favorite events that celebrates Georgia Arbor Day is our annual Student Art Contest!
Whether you are a student, teacher, parent, or friend – get the word out to young artists across metro Atlanta! The Student Art Contest is a great framework to introduce concepts related to trees, urban ecology, health benefits of nature, plant science, climate patterns, and so much more!
Art categories include several media options to celebrate a range of individual interest, skill, and or capacity. Please review the Student Art Contest rules and guidelines below.
Past year’s Trees Atlanta Georgia Arbor Day Student Art Contest Winners: 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021
Rules and Submission Guidelines
Please review the contest details below. The following information can also be downloaded as a PDFs:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Georgia Arbor Day Student Art Contest?
The Georgia Arbor Day Student Art Contest celebrates Georgia Arbor Day, which is the third Friday of February. This day aims to celebrate trees for everything they do for us and inspire people to plant more trees. Trees Atlanta hosts an annual student art contest for students to celebrate the holiday through art.
This contest is a celebration of trees and creativity and allows participants to submit a work of art in a medium of their choice. Only one submission will be accepted per student. Submissions must be original and created by the student.
To learn more about Georgia Arbor Day, including why it’s in February, click here.
What is the theme for the 2027 Georgia Arbor Day Student Art Contest?
Artwork should reflect the participant’s interpretation of this year’s theme:
Conserving Georgia’s Roots: Protecting Our Forests
What is the deadline to submit entries?
We will accept submissions from November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. All entries must be received by email or arrive at our office by mail or in person by 1/31/2027 at 3:00 PM.
Who can participate?
We invite all students that live in Georgia and are in grades K – 12 to participate.
I'm a teacher. Can my whole class participate?
Yes! We highly encourage teachers to have all their students participate in the art contest.
When you submit your students’ entries, you can either use the digital upload form and enter each student individually or you can use this Class Submission Form.
Are there different art categories?
Yes, we have six different categories. We will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category.
- Visual Art Grades K – 2
- Visual Art Grades 3 – 5
- Visual Art Grades 6 – 8
- Visual Art Grades 9 – 12
- Writing Grades K – 12
- Film Grades K – 12
Each student may enter artwork into one category per contest year.
Will there be prizes?
Yes! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be selected by a panel of Trees Atlanta judges for each category. Student winners will receive a gift cards and additional swag from our partners.
Teachers and/or adults of a 1st place winner will also receive a gift card.
Winners will have their artwork displayed on our website and at Trees Atlanta. Winners will be celebrated at the Georgia Arbor Day Art Contest Gallery Opening on February 13, where they will receive their prizes. If a winner is unable to attend the Gallery Opening, we will mail their prizes to them.
2027 Prize Amounts
| Category | 1st Place Gift Card | 2nd Place Gift Card | 3rd Place Gift Card |
| *NEW* Film (K – 12) | $150 | $100 | $50 |
| Visual Arts (K – 2) | $75 | $50 | $25 |
| Visual Arts (3 – 5) | $75 | $50 | $25 |
| Visual Arts (6 – 8) | $75 | $50 | $25 |
| Visual Arts (9 – 12) | $75 | $50 | $25 |
| Writing (K – 12) | $75 | $50 | $25 |
How can I see the winning artwork of the Georgia Arbor Day Art Contest?
The winning artwork will be on display at Trees Atlanta. Community members can come to our Gallery Opening, where we will celebrate the winners.
If you are unable to attend our Gallery Opening, community members can visit the Trees Atlanta Kendeda TreeHouse during open hours (Monday – Friday, 9AM – 4PM) to view the gallery on their own.
The winning artwork will also be published on the Trees Atlanta website following the Gallery Opening.
All participants will be notified if their artwork was selected as a winner or not at least 2 weeks after the contest closes. Notification will be sent out to the email address submitted with the artwork.
How do I submit my entry?
All participants must complete the entry form: Georgia Arbor Day Art Contest Submission Form
Entries can be submitted digitally, by mail, or dropped off in person.
All digital files must be named according to the format as shown:
Examples: “Doe-Jane-K-PerkersonElem” or “Doe-John-12-SouthAtlantaHS“
Are you a teacher submitting your students’ artwork? You can use this Class Submission Form.
What are acceptable formats to use for my art piece?
| Category | Visual Art | Writing | Film / Video |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptable Formats | Drawing, painting, photography, mixed media collage, and sequential art (comics).
May be traditional or digital. |
Poetry, narrative writing (story), or informational writing (essay).
May be handwritten or typed. |
Video essay, live action narrative, and animation. |
| Size | May be submitted via the submission form or delivered by mail or in person.
Min size: 8.5” x 11” Accepted file formats: |
May be submitted via the submission form or delivered by mail or in person.
Min word count: 100 Accepted file formats: |
Must be submitted via the submission form with publicly accessible link.
Max runtime: 2 minutes Accepted file formats: |
Georgia celebrates Arbor Day in Feburary while spring is just around the bend. Trees Atlanta celebrates Georgia Arbor Day with a whole week of events, including free tree seedling adoption days, classes at the Kendeda TreesHouse and in Atlanta schools, tree planting projects, and the announcement of the Student Art Contest winners!
Take a look at this year’s Georgia Arbor Day Celebration Week of events at: treesatlanta.org/georgiaarborday
Questions? Email: utt@treesatlanta.org
