OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

Reimagine: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Student Truck Art Contest is made possible by the City of Houston, Solid Waste Management Department, and Houston Independent School District.

The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department Recycling Art Contest allows students the opportunity to express their care and concern for the City of Houston and the environment.

This year’s theme is “Reimagine: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” All ages are encouraged to submit an original artwork inspired by the contest theme. Students can submit artwork and waiver via online submission between February 21, 2024, and March 6, 2024. All artwork submitted by the deadline will be eligible to be judged in the first round of in-person voting. Artwork will be judged by age, with prizes awarded to winners in each category. The announcement will be made on the week of March 22.

By entering this competition, you hereby agree to the following terms and that all registration information you submit is truthful and accurate.

1. Eligibility: The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department Recycling Art Contest (Contest) is open to registered student’s in Special Education programs and K to 12th grades in the Houston Independent School District. Eligible students of City of Houston employees are eligible to enter. Other educational institutions in the Solid Waste Management Department service area can request consideration to participate. Minors must ask their parent or legal guardian for permission to participate. If a participant is a minor, his or her parent or legal guardian agrees to these official rules along with and on behalf of his or her minor child.
2. Artwork:  Original artwork may be done using crayons, markers, ink, pencil, pastels, oils, acrylics, and watercolor or a combination of these. No photographs. 
3. Contest Period: The Contest period will take place from February 21, 2024 and March 6, 2024.
4. How to Enter: During the contest period, you may enter the Contest by completing the waiver form and submitting it with your artwork. Up to one (1) entry allowed per person. Only parents or legal guardians are permitted to submit the student's registration and artwork. School aides, teachers, or other school staff are not allowed to enter on behalf of legal guardians. Any entries submitted by individuals other than the student's parent or legal guardian will be disqualified. Contest entrants must provide their name and method of contact such as email or phone number to be eligible to win.
5. Selection of Winners: Up to 8 winners will be selected. Winners will be chosen by the Judging panel consisting of Houston ISD, COH elected officials, SWMD and select sponsors. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received.
6. Contest Awards: Grand Prize will have artwork printed on COH Solid Waste Management recycling trucks. Additional prizes to be named.

Winner Verification and Notification: The contest winners will be notified by March 2024. Winners will be notified via the contact information provided in the waiver. By participating in this contest, entrants consent to the use of the entrant’s name, photograph, likeness, voice and/or video for promotional purposes, including, but not limited to, online and on-air announcements, signage, posters, television, magazine articles, websites, social media sites (including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube), and any other publication at the City’s discretion, without limitation and without additional compensation except where prohibited by law. In the event of a conflict between the entry instruction and these contest rules, these contest rules shall control.

1. General Rules: The City is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, incomplete, blocked, delayed, technical or human errors in submitting contest entry. By entering your artwork in the Reimagine: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Student Truck Art Contest, you give the City absolute discretion to post the submission on its website or use your artwork for promotional purposes related to the business of the City. By entering this Contest, each Entrant affirms, represents, and warrants that: i) its entry is an original work of the entrants; ii) its entry does not defame or invade the rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, and does not contain any material that would violate or infringe upon the copyrights, patents, trademarks, rights of privacy or publicity, or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity; iii) to the extent that its entry contains any third party materials and/or depicts the name, likeness, or indicia of identity of any person living or deceased, the Entrant has secured and will provide all necessary permissions and releases to enable use of such materials in its entry. By entering this Contest, each Entrant grants the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, publish, prepare derivative works of, and display, without compensation or obtaining further permission, their entries in any and all media now known or hereafter developed (including, without limitation, print, broadcast, and internet), for all legitimate business purposes including advertising and promotional activities, including but not limited to in connection to this contest. Once the drawing is submitted as a contest entry, it becomes property of the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and Entrant should not expect the return of the drawing.
2. Use of Entry Information: The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department will not use submitted information for any purpose other than to contact the potential winners.
3. Release of Ownership: The City and its authorized employees or agents may use any artwork or elements of any artwork submitted to this contest in future City-sponsored brochures, posters, websites, social media, pamphlets, newspaper, City advertisements and/or any other promotional materials. The participants of this contest agree to give permission for artwork to be used in future promotional materials by the City and agree that any artwork, photographs, or pictures may be used in connection with participation in the contest without any compensation from the City or their agents and employees and you agree to hereby consent to the use of said artwork, photographs or pictures for any legal purpose.

CONTEST AWARDS

Grand Prize winners are awarded in four categories:

• Category 1: Grades K-5 (2 winners)*
• Category 2: Grades 6-8 (2 winners)*
• Category 3: Grades 9-12 (2 winners)*
• Category 4: Special Education (2 winners)*

* Entry with the most votes in each category will be selected for printing on SWM recycling trucks.

All winners will receive a framed copy of their artwork and certificate at an awards ceremony. The winning Artwork will also be enlarged and displayed on City of Houston Solid Waste Management Dept. recycling trucks.