Tampa Convention Center Gasparilla

Drop Savers Poster Contest

2024 1st place County and State Winner Suah Kim - Fox 13 interview

FOX 13 Tampa Bay interviews student Suah Kim for her 1st place winning poster at both the county and state competition in 2024. 

The Tampa Water Department and Hillsborough County Water Resources invites all K-12 students in Hillsborough County to participate in our annual Drop Savers Water Conservation Poster Contest. In this contest, students must create a poster that portrays a water conservation idea in a slogan and/or drawing form. 

Posters are assigned under one of the following judging categories:

  • Division 1: K - Grade 1
  • Division 2: Grades 2 - 3
  • Division 3: Grades 4 - 5
  • Division 4: Grades 6 - 8
  • Division 5: Grades 9 - 12

Congratulations to Our 2024 Drop Savers Poster Contest Winners!

*Another congratulations to Gabriel Angeli and Suah Kim who received first place, and Samara Ortiz who received 3rd place in their respective divisions in the statewide competition hosted by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (FSAWWA).

Student Guidelines

  1. Each poster must portray a water conservation idea in a slogan and/or drawing form, and will be judged on the message, creativity, originality, and artistic ability. For example, "Don't Pollute the Ocean" is a good message, but it is not really water conservation.
  2. Poster must be drawn on 8.5" x 11" white paper and may be drawn vertically or horizontally.
  3. Students may use crayons, paint, color pencils, or markers. 
    • No highlighters, photos, or computer graphics are permitted.
  4. Students must work on posters individually, otherwise posters will be disqualified.
  5. Only original artwork will be accepted (no trademarked or copyrighted materials). 
  6. Submit posters to your teacher.

Teacher and School Guidelines

  1. Schools judge all entries according to the Student Guidelines and choose only one School Winner for each division to be advanced to the County-level competition.
  2. On the back of each School Winner's poster, write accurately and legibly:
    • The student's name and grade
    • The school's name, address, and phone number
    • The teacher's name, email address, and class name
  3. Take high-resolution, double-sided color scans of the School Winners' posters and e-mail them to WaterConservation@HCFL.gov or mail the originals or double-sided color copies to Hillsborough County Water Conservation at 2420 N Falkenburg Rd, Tampa, FL 33619.

*Note: Submission of an entry serves as the student, parent/guardian, and school's authorization to utilize the likeness, name, school, and/or artwork of participating students and their teachers in contest and water conservation promotional materials.

Prizes

First Place County Winners from each division will advance to the state-level competition sponsored and judged by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (FSAWWA), and will also receive:

  • A Florida State Parks prize package
  • A custom jigsaw puzzle of the winner's poster design
  • Posters of their artwork
  • A water conservation kit
  • Reusable water bottles with their artwork to share with their class
  • Invitation to be honored at a School Board Meeting
  • Potential media coverage
  • A display of their artwork on both the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County Drop Savers webpages, facilities, and promotional materials
  • A certification of recognition and appreciation

Second and Third Place County Winners from each division will receive:

  • Invitation for recognition at a School Board Meeting
  • Potential media coverage
  • A display of their artwork on both the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County Drop Savers webpages, facilities, other promotional materials
  • A certification of recognition and appreciation
phone of one of the 2023 DSPC local winners

Tulasi Akula, one of our 1st place County Winners from 2023, being interviewed by various news media outlets on her winning poster and how to save water.

To request additional information or if you have any questions, please e-mail SaveWater@tampa.gov or call (813) 274-8121, option #5.