Note: The following item was provided by the Polk County Farm Bureau for publication. – KtE

CEDARTOWN – Are you a middle school or high school student who likes to draw? If so, then enter the 2022 Georgia Farm Bureau Middle School Bookmark or High School Art Contests for the chance to win some great cash prizes!

The Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Middle School Bookmark Contest is open to all public, private and home-schooled 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students statewide. The 10 GFB district winners of the bookmark contest will receive $100 each and compete for the state prize of $150.

The winners of the Polk County Farm Bureau Bookmark Contest will receive $50 first place and $25 for 2nd and 3rd place.

The GFB High School Art Contest is open to all public, private and home-schooled students in 9th through 12th grades.

The 10 GFB district art contest winners will receive a cash prize of $100. The 10 GFB district art contest winners will compete for the state prize of $250 cash.

One state runner-up in the art contest will receive $150 cash. The winners of the Polk County Farm Bureau Art Contest will receive $50 first place and $25 for 2nd and 3rd place.

Middle school students will be given a blank bookmark and asked to draw a picture that depicts some aspect of Georgia agriculture. Students may use crayons, markers or colored pencils to create their bookmark that illustrates agriculture.

High schoolers entering the art contest should draw a scene depicting Georgia agriculture. Artwork submitted in the high school art contest must be on 8.5 x 11-inch white paper and should be created in the colors black, white and gray.

Contestants may use a variety of media to create their artwork including graphite, charcoal, pastel, chalk, colored pencil, pen-and-ink, ballpoint pen or mixed media appropriate for printing.

Artwork entered in both contests will be judged on 1) how well the artwork represents modern agriculture found in the artist’s county or Georgia and 2) artistic merit.

Students may enter either contest in the county in which they live or attend school but not both counties. To enter either contest, students should contact their county Farm Bureau for an official entry form and complete contest rules.

The deadline to enter the Polk County Farm Bureau contests is February 25, 2022. Entries are limited to one per person in both contests. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Previous state winners are not eligible for either contest.

All artwork submitted in both contests must be original and becomes the property of Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) once submitted. GFB may use artwork from both contests on various products distributed or sold by the organization to promote agriculture.

Between the crops Georgia farmers grow and the jobs agriculture creates to harvest, process and transport these crops, agriculture contributed $70.1 billion to Georgia’s economy in 2019, according to the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.

For more information about the contests contact your county Farm Bureau office at 770-748-5641 or visit www.gfb.ag/22artcontest and www.gfb.ag/22bookmarkcontest .

Students and teachers may visit https://gfb.ag/video to view a video about Georgia agriculture and https://gfb.ag/UGA21agsnapshots to access info about Georgia agriculture.

“The purpose of the Farm Bureau Middle School Bookmark and High School Art Contests is to encourage students to creatively explore Georgia agriculture and increase their knowledge of the contributions it makes to our lives,” said Polk County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Chairman, Joan Mitchell. “By asking the students to participate in these contests, we are giving them a chance to learn about the wide variety of crops and livestock produced in Georgia such as, poultry, beef cattle, dairy, cotton, peanuts, timber, pecans, blueberries and many other fruits and vegetables.”

The Polk County Farm Bureau Middle School Bookmark and High School Art Contest winners will be entered in the Georgia Farm Bureau 3rd District competition.

All entries must be officially submitted by the Polk County Farm Bureau to the Georgia Farm Bureau home office.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. Its volunteer members participate in local, state, and national activities to promote agriculture to their non-farming neighbors. GFB also advocates for Georgia farmers and rural communities on legislative issues.

GFB offers its members a wide variety of benefits, including insurance, but enrollment in any of the member benefits is optional and not a requirement for membership.