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Saving My Alachua Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

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Saving My Alachua Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

Saving My Alachua is an annual student environmental art competition open to k-12 students in Alachua County

07/29/2026

🏆 Winner’s Spotlight 🎨
This week’s featured artwork brings a creative perspective to habitat protection. Featuring an adorable little bluebird resting on a branch, the illustration contrasts the quiet beauty of the remaining forest with the factory landscape across the horizon. It’s a wonderful piece of visual storytelling that highlights the importance of protecting our native woodlands so local wildlife always has a healthy place to call home.

🖼️ Title: Bird Watching
🏆 Award: 3rd Place, 9th Grade
🏫 School: Eastside High School

07/21/2026

🏆 Winner’s Spotlight 🎨

This week’s featured artwork stands out with its bold, graphic illustration style and highly detailed line-work. The composition cleverly uses the shore’s edge to bridge two distinct worlds, showcasing the rich biodiversity found both above and below the water line. By depicting these iconic Florida species in such an engaging way, the piece celebrates the incredible wildlife that is still here in our local ecosystems, while gently reminding us of the positive impact we can make by protecting their habitats so they continue to thrive.

🖼️ Title: Still Here but Fading
🏆 Award: 2nd Place, 9th Grade
🏫 School: Eastside High School

07/15/2026

🏆Winner's Spotlight🎨
This week’s masterpiece brings to life one of the most remarkable success stories in Florida conservation history. In the early 1800's spoonbills were prized for their beautiful pink feathers. So much so that they were hunted to near extinction with only 15 pairs left in the state. After the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918 protected them, their numbers rebounded to today where they are listed as "Least Concern."

This piece beautifully celebrates that success story. The artist did an amazing job capturing the spoonbills' signature pink hue, their detailed reflections, and the peaceful, sunset-lit waters of Paynes Prairie.

🏆Award: 1st Place, 9th Grade
🎨Title: Roseate Spoonbills on Paynes Prairie
🏫School: The Trilogy School

06/30/2026

🏆Winner's Spotlight🎨

This week’s featured piece brings a wonderfully unique perspective to one of Florida's most beloved marine residents!

In this artwork, the artist masterfully utilizes bold white negative space to mimic the bright glare of sunshine reflecting off a clear spring. We love the clever top-down perspective, allowing us to see a kayaker paddling along the surface while a gentle manatee rests just beneath the ripples.

As summer paddling season hits its stride, this masterpiece serves as a perfect reminder: if you love our local manatees, please give them space! Keeping a distance of at least one to two kayak lengths ensures these amazing creatures stay safe and undisturbed.

🏆Award: 3rd Place, 10th Grade
🎨Title: Share Our Springs
🏫School: First Christian Academy

06/25/2026

🏆 Winner’s Spotlight🎨

We are back this week with a spectacular, vibrant masterpiece that perfectly captures the golden hour in our local wetlands!

This striking artwork beautifully contrasts a brilliant, swirling sunset with the deep blue waters of a lake. The artist did an incredible job highlighting classic local details, like the purple pickerelweed and water lilies to a native anhinga spreading its wings to dry on the dock. We also love the student's thoughtful inclusion of the park safety and "No Littering" signs!

This week’s featured artwork:
🖼️ Title: Beauty of Florida
🏆 Award: 2nd Place, 10th Grade
🏫 School: The Community Classroom Microschool

06/19/2026

❤️💛💚 Happy Juneteenth, Alachua County!💚💛❤️

Today, we join our community and the nation in celebrating Juneteenth, a historic day honoring freedom, resilience, and the end of slavery in the United States.

As we look to the future, we celebrate the diverse voices, cultures, and unity that make Alachua County such a vibrant place to live and grow. Today is a beautiful reminder of the strength found in our community.

Wishing all of our residents a safe, meaningful, and reflective holiday! 💖

06/09/2026

🏆Winner's Spotlight🎨

🦆This week, we have an amazing piece from one of our returning champions! This artist was able to capture a beautiful sunset reflecting off the water of a calm lake while showcasing the incredible variety of wildlife that our local lakes and waterways support. How many different species can you count in this drawing? Let us know your guess in the comments!🐢

🏆Award: 1st Place, 10th Grade, Calendar Selection
🎨Title: Sunset in the Lake
🏫School: Gainesville High School

06/05/2026

🌎 Happy World Environment Day, Alachua County! 🌳

Today, communities all over the globe are pausing to appreciate and protect our shared planet. Here in Alachua County, we are incredibly lucky to be surrounded by unique springs, diverse wildlife, and beautiful forests.

Our local students constantly inspire us with their commitment to preserving these resources. This beautiful piece from our contest archives reminds us that protecting the environment is a team effort that starts right here at home! 💖

🏆Award: 1st Place, High School, & Calendar Selection for 2024
🎨Title: Nature's Reflection Through Us
🏫School: First Christian Academy

How are you celebrating today?
🚴 Visiting a local county park or preserve?
🌿 Planting native wildflowers?
🗑️ Picking up litter in your neighborhood?

Let us know in the comments! 👇

06/01/2026

🌿Happy June, Alachua County! 🌿

It's a new month, which means it's time to flip the page in our Saving My Alachua calendars to this wonderful drawing! There is nothing quite like spending a summer day fishing and exploring our county's beautiful rivers and lakes. This month’s calendar feature brings that exact feeling right to your wall!

🖼️ Title: Tired of Fishing for Trash
🏆 Award: 1st Place, 2nd Grade, & Calendar Selection
🏫 School: The Rock School

Surrounded by cypress trees and thriving wildlife, this peaceful fishing scene reminds us why protecting our local water resources is so important.

Join us in celebrating this talented student artist by giving this post a "Like!"

05/26/2026

🎨 Winner’s Spotlight 🏆
This week's spotlight is a work that makes great use of light. Only using black, they were able to capture the bats leaving their bat houses at dusk. This is the second year for this artist using this style. The creativity of Alachua's student artists never ceases to amaze us!

This week’s featured artwork:
🏆 Award: 3nd Place, 11th Grade
🎨 Title: "Dusk"
🏫School: Eastside High School

Join us in the comments by giving a "Like" to support our local student artists! Check back next week for our next feature.

Address

14 NE First Street
Gainesville, FL
32601

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+13522646800

Website

http://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/EPD/Pages/EPD.aspx

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