Since 2007, IGES has sponsored the Earth Day Photo & Essay Contests for students in grades 5-8. This unique national effort aims to engage students in experiencing and thinking about our changing world.

To participate in the contest, students must take a photograph depicting change in their local environment during the week of Earth Day (April 22-29) and submit an essay about the change taking place in the photograph. IGES staff judges entries based on relevance to the contest theme, uniqueness and overall appearance of the photo, and quality of the essay. In addition to having their photos featured on the IGES website, the top three winners receive a digital camera, digital photo frame and digital photo keychain, respectively. The top 10 winners also receive a photo book featuring the top 10 photos, with his or her photo on the front cover.

Visit the pages below to learn more about the contest and view the award-winning entries from previous years.