2026 Energy
Art Challenge
Calling on all K-12 students to create artwork on the theme: Solar POWERED.
KidWind is excited to launch our third annual Energy Art Challenge—this year focused on Solar Energy!
Six entries from each grade division—Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12)—will receive an award and have their work displayed on the KidWind website.
Submissions will open on November 3rd and close at 12pm PST on March 2, 2026.
Early submissions are encouraged and may be temporarily displayed on this webpage. Winners will be announced March 27th!
Guidelines
- Participation is free!
- Only K-12th grade students may participate.
- Only one submission per student.
- Artwork must speak to the theme of Solar POWERED.
- 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.
- 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).
- A teacher, coach, parent, or guardian must fill out the form linked below and provide contact information. The adult can submit applications for an unlimited number of students.
Key Dates
- Submissions Open: November 3, 2025 – March 2, 2026
- Submission Deadline: Before 12pm PST on March 2, 2026
- Winners Announced: March 27, 2026
Selection Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated by grade level and according to the following criteria:
| CRITERIA | POINTS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of Submitted Image | 10 pts | Is the photo submitted of the artwork straight, no glares, no warp, no shadow, no filters, in focus, background cropped so the artwork takes up most of the image? Do not digitally alter the image. |
| Theme | 30 pts | Does it follow the theme Solar POWERED? |
| Knowledge & Understanding | 30 pts | Does the artwork display the basics of solar energy? Does it demonstrate an accurate understanding of how solar energy works? |
| Creativity | 30 pts | Is the artwork well done? Does it have nice color, lines, composition, and content? Does the artwork evoke emotion? |
Awards and Recognition
Six winners will be selected per grade division—Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12)—for a total of 18 winners!
Winners will receive:
- Award
- Artwork displayed on the KidWind Wind Energy Art Challenge webpage.
Resources & Inspiration to Get You Started
Two short videos highlighting the basic principles of solar energy, and how the various components work to capture and convert solar energy to electricity.
U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Basics
A webpage about the basics of solar energy with helpful links for further research.
Lesson about the differences between forms and sources of energy to gain an understanding of the main types of energy—kinetic and potential, and the differences between forms of energy, including radiant, thermal, and mechanical.
Watercolor and drawing artist Nicole Kelner creates educational art to inspire climate action.
Artists and Climate Change Photovoltaic Poetics
Article about artists making art about energy, electricity, and solar energy. Check out the other art and articles on the Artists and Climate Change website too.
Creative Suggestions
Here are some creative suggestions to help you think about Solar POWERED:
- Solar energy can be illustrated by solar panels (photovoltaics), solar heating systems, solar water heating systems, circuits, batteries, energy storage facilities, etc. Think of the time of day, the location. Are there more than one?
- Consider a drawing of the inner workings of solar panels, or how you imagine it works.
- Imagine what something invisible, like solar energy, looks like.
- Consider drawing a solar panel in a pattern or in a way that is abstract.
- Solar energy can be shown through plants growing, heating from the sun, smaller scale solar powered items, etc. - we encourage you to think creatively & outside of the box
- Solar energy can be a character or a spirit. Please don’t use pop-culture characters.
Questions?
Please email Zella@kidwind.org.
The Art Challenge was created to spark the interest of students into thinking about wind and how it impacts life on Earth because wind will be part of many Americans’ communities and energy systems within the next decade. This year we hope to expand students’ thinking beyond wind to solar energy, a quickly growing industry in the United States.