Arbor Day Poster Contest registration due March 7

The Delaware Forest Service is now seeking entries for its annual Arbor Day Poster Contest, open to all children in kindergarten through fifth grade in Delaware public, private and home schools. After-school programs and youth groups are also eligible. 

Designed to increase student knowledge about trees and forest resources, the contest is a great way for students to learn about the role trees play in communities and ecosystems, and their direct impact on Delawareans’ quality of life.

Dedicated to the beauty and wonderment of trees, this year’s theme is Trees are Terrific … and Color Our World!

For classes to participate, teachers must register by the Friday, March 7 deadline. To register, go to news.delaware.gov and search 2025 Arbor Day Poster Contest.  The deadline for poster submission is Friday, March 21. 

Posters will be judged on originality, use of theme, neatness and artistic expression. Each winner will receive a gift card, a tree-themed book and a tree planting at their school. A total of 12 winners will be selected, one from each county in four grade categories: kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, grades 3 and 4, and grade 5. All participating classes will receive free loblolly pine seedlings delivered to their school.

A tree-planting ceremony will also be scheduled at each winner’s school to celebrate Arbor Day. This year, the teacher of each of the 12 poster winners will receive a “Tree Trunk” of outdoor learning resources.

Planting a tree is a fun activity people can enjoy today, knowing that the tree will continue to improve their lives over time. Trees planted throughout communities provide beauty, help shade streets and schoolyards, and create habitat and food for wildlife. Trees planted today will also be terrific tomorrow as they improve air quality, muffle noise, moderate air temperatures, filter runoff into streams and rivers, and reduce energy consumption.

For more information, contact ashley.melvin@delaware.gov.