The Earth Summit, themed “Earth: Ours to Care For,” will take place on Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Ottawa Conference Centre (200 Coventry Rd., Ottawa, ON). This special event will bring together families, students, and community members to celebrate the beauty of our planet and reflect on our shared responsibility to care for it.

In connection with this inspiring gathering, a poster-making contest is being launched to encourage young people to thoughtfully engage with the theme of creation care. This initiative aims to raise awareness of God’s magnificent creation—the Earth—and to inspire a deeper sense of stewardship, responsibility, and appreciation for the natural world.

Children and youth in Grades 1–12 from Adventist churches and schools across Ontario are warmly invited to participate. Participants are encouraged to submit original, creative artwork that conveys a clear, positive message about the beauty of creation and the importance of protecting and preserving the environment. Posters may highlight themes such as caring for nature, reducing waste, protecting wildlife, or honouring God through responsible stewardship of the Earth.

This is a wonderful opportunity for young artists to express their faith, creativity, and environmental awareness while contributing to an important cause.

Below are the submission guidelines, deadlines, and judging criteria. We look forward to seeing the creativity and passion of  all participants as they reflect on the theme, “Earth: Ours to Care For.”

Criteria:

1. This poster contest is open to students from Adventist churches in the following categories:
   1. Grades 1-3
   2. Grades 4-6
   3. Grades 7-8
   4. Grades 9-12
2. Posters must incorporate creative and original
3. Posters should deliver a clear and positive message about creation or the promotion and protection of the Earth’s environment.
4. Posters should contain proper spelling and
5. Posters must be no larger than standard poster board size (22” x 28”) and no smaller than 8½” x 11”.
6. Students may use a variety of media such as watercolour, pen and ink, crayon, chalk, markers, etc.
7. DO NOT write names on the front of posters. Please attach a typed label with the student's name, grade, names of the churches, etc., on the back. Keep in mind that winning posters become the property of the Ontario Conference and may be reproduced or reprinted.

Churches Judging

1. Each church should choose its own team of judges. This team may comprise art teachers, parents, older students, church board officials, local artists, PTA members or community leaders.
2. Posters should be judged on artistry, creativity and originality in relation to the beauty of God’s creation – The Earth or the protection of the Earth’s environment.
3. Only three (3) winning posters from each grade category must be selected to represent each
4. Awards will be presented at the Earth Summit to the overall winners of each grade category:

• First Place: $100.00
• Second Place: $ 75.00
• Third Place: $ 50.00

Submission of Posters:

The churches' winning posters should be sent to the Contest Coordinating Committee at Ontario Conference Office or Ottawa East Adventist Church no later than Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Ontario Conference Office:
1110 King Street East,
Oshawa, ON L1H 1H8

Ottawa Seventh-day Adventist Church
2200 Benjamin Ave,
Ottawa, ON K2A 1P5

Winning posters submitted to the Poster Contest Coordinating Committee become the property of the Ontario Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

Awards:

Winning posters will be on display at the Earth Summit on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at the Ottawa Conference & Events Centre.

Awards will be presented to the winners of each category during the Summit.

Winners will be contacted through the pastor of each church.

Judging Criteria for Poster Presentation

First Impression:   How easy is it to read the poster?

How are colour schemes used? Are they easy on the eye? How crowded is the poster?

Is there a good flow of information (logical, layout of information)? Does the poster stimulate interest and discussion?

Readability:  Is the font size or style easily readable? How much text does the poster contain?

Title:  How specific/adequate/long/short is the title? How effectively has the theme been incorporated into the poster?

Identification:   Can the author be easily identified? Is contact information available (i.e. Grade, Name of Student, Name of church, etc.) on the back of the poster?