Annual Art Contest
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in the SI&A Annual Art Contest! This year's theme was "Best Field Trip Ever."

We received over 300 entries and, after much deliberation, the SI&A judges decided on five winners for each grade division. Our winners will each receive a $25 Gift Card Award and their artwork will be featured in the SI&A Calendar, distributed to schools across California and beyond!

Art Contest Finalists 2009
AGE DIVISION: K-3rd
Untitled Untitled
Alex M.
Grade K
Pasadena Elementary School, San Juan USD, California
Medium: pencil, pen and crayon

From the artist:

I want to go to the airport on a field trip. We'll learn how planes take off and what pilots do. We'll get to go on a plane and fly around!


Trip To Space Trip to Space
Jovan Y.
Grade 1
Cedar Bluff Elementary School, Knox County SD, Tennessee
Medium: oil pastel, glitter, foil, pencil, acetate, plastic eyes

From the artist:

This is a field trip to space. I am learning about space in my class. I can see planets, aliens, stars and lots of black areas. The school rocket takes us to space. It is cool!


Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium
Alberto C.
Grade 2
Jackson Heights, Red Bluff Union Elementary SD, California
Medium: crayon and marker

From the artist:

I want to see all the animals. I want to learn about sharks. I heard all the animals are very amazing. I learned jelly fish are amazing.


Solar System The Solar System
Conner A.
Grade 3
Capay Elementary School, Capay Joint Union Elementary, California
Medium: pencil and marker

From the artist:

My artwork is about the planets and the solar system. I drew this picture because it would probably be one of the most exciting fieldtrips ever and we are also learning about it. I could discover planets and their moons. I think it would be best because if I could travel to all the planets.


Two Different Worlds Two Different Worlds
Julia H.
Grade 3
Morris Elementary, McKinleyville Union SD, California
Medium: watercolor

From the artist:

This is two different worlds. You can see one is of the moon and one is of the earth. The class got to choose which place to go and it's like a real fieldtrip but some go to the moon.


  AGE DIVISION: 4th - 8th
Jungle Jungle
Esther E.
Grade 5
Monarch Learning Center, Redding School District, California
Medium: crayon

From the artist:

I chose this picture because I really really like the jungle. I also like animals so much that I wouldn't do any picture without them. I think this fieldtrip is the best because there are lots of animals and it's in the jungle.


Palm Tree Waterfalls Palm Tree Waterfalls
Nicolas M.
Grade 6
Fort Bragg Middle School, Fort Bragg USD, California
Medium: pencil and colored pencil

From the artist:

I drew a giant water park with large water slides. I chose this subject because it would be neat to go to a giant water park. I used a pencil and colored pencils to make it. I would discover kinds of fish not found on Earth. I think this fieldtrip is the best ever because the things I included in the picture in my opinion are a lot of fun.


Best Trip Ever Best Trip Ever
Cindy J.
Grade 6
Sussman Middle School, Downey USD, California
Medium: marker and crayon

From the artist:

I chose campling because I know that camping is fun. You could do many things on a camping trip. I hope to see animals like bears, deer, raccoons and wolves. I want to go swimming, hiking, fishing and other things. This trip is the best because it's fun, adventurous and better for the Earth. Going camping is awesome and there are many things to do there.


Catson Pollock Catson Pollock
Ry W.
Grade 8
Long Valley Charter School, Long Valley SD, California
Medium: acrylic paint, watercolor and pastel

From the artist:

Imagine taking a trip to a cartoon world. Wouldn't that just be the greatest fieldtrip ever? Wouldn't it be great if we could take a trip to a dimension where everyone has weird shaped heads and odd colored hair? Going to a place where safes fall from the sky landing on people's heads and even with the sheer weight upon them they live? Going to this exciting world would teach us to have fun. It would teach us to let loose and have a great time; throw caution to the wind. This is important because in life we learn to work all day and never relax and enjoy ourselves. I chose this painting because I love having fun and letting my imagination wander. I thought of a great place where you could have fun and let your imagination wander. Cartoon World! The cat with the paintbrush and the wall with paint splattered behind him resemble having fun and getting wild. To paint this piece I used acrylic and watercolor paint. I also used pastel and watercolor pastel.


Mr. Lincoln Mr. Lincoln
Samantha F.
Grade 8
Manzanita Elementary School, Manzanita Elementary SD, California
Medium: photography and computer software

From the artist:

My name is Samantha and this is a picture that illustrates one of the many great wonders that you would see on the best fieldtrip ever. When viewing the photo you see the Lincoln Memorial. As I started the project I thought, “What is the best fieldtrip I have ever been on?” I answered my question with one statement: “To Washington, DC. I got to see the memorials and remember the history.” I feel my trip to DC was truly fascinating and I also loved how I got to learn so much.

My entry is a digitally altered photograph that I took while visiting Washington DC. While working on this project I learned how to alter digital images in order to create an interesting effect. I found this project to be difficult and thus stimulating.


  AGE DIVISION: 9th - 12th
The Cascade Theater The Cascade Theater
Group Project (60 Students)
Grades 7 - 12
University Preparatory School, Shasta Union High SD, California
Medium: oil pastel to digital graphic

From the artist:

Revel in the majesty of the Cascade Theatre. It can be anything you want it to be. It is the art of pretending—the art of emotion. It has expressed our best days and our darkest days. Theatre is expression—a painting without a brush; a portrait without a pencil; a song without words. Theatre is magic.


Sunset Cliffs Sunset Cliffs
Kelly S.
Grade 10
The Learning Choice Academy, San Diego Unified, California
Medium: crayon
Location: Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, CA.

From the artist:

I chose Sunset Cliffs as the best fieldtrip ever because it offers a stunning setting for looking at tide pools, walking along the ocean and wonderful art opportunities. At sunset, Sunset Cliffs could possibly be the most beautiful scene ever.


Visit to the Zoo Visit to the Zoo
Cynthia M.
Grade 11
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy, Hawthorne School District, California
Medium: colored pencils

From the artist:

In this artwork the scenery is of a fieldtrip to the zoo. There are wild animals on the background and a family of four on the far right as the foreground and in the middle ground there is a pond with a duck swimming in it. The trip to the zoo shows an educational form of learning and getting to know about the wildlife.


Out of the World Out of the World
Erica D.
Grade 11
California High School, Whittier Union High SD, California
Medium: marker, pen and colored pencils

From the artist:

The imaginary trip to a place you have never been, somewhere out of this world, but when you get there, you shouldn't notice the differences of the people and the place you should notice the similarities because that's what brings you together. You have fun when you take a fieldtrip to a place you have never been because you find things you never expected. This field trip is to Mars. It is inside a Martian town. I chose this because a fieldtrip out of this world is the last thing someone expects. I learned that you should except people even if they are different than you, because there are always things that are the same if you try hard enough to look.


Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium
Eryck L.
Grade 12
California High School, Whittier Union High SD, California
Medium: pastel

From the artist:

My idea for the best fieldtrip ever is to Yankee Stadium. I have a dream of one day living or visiting New York. I chose Yankee Stadium because I am a sports fanatic with a love for New York. Pastel is the form of medium I used.