Vote for Climate Hope art contest submissions open March 1

This election year, the United Church of Christ is inviting children and youth to share their hopes for the world: What do they value? What would they like to see protected? What should adults remember when they vote this year, as seen through their children’s eyes?

The Vote for Climate Hope Art Contest is one way to share those hopes, and it begins taking submissions starting Friday, March 1.

Sponsored by Environmental Justice Ministries, UCC youth are invited to draw, paint or color about the world and the environment in which they want to live.

While kids under 18 can’t vote in elections, “their well-being is integral to how people of faith vote their values on Election Day,” said the Rev. Brooks Berndt, minister of environmental justice. “The decisions made by our elected officials will have an enormous impact on their lives and their future.”

The contest will accept art submissions from March 1 to April 16. An online award ceremony for finalists will be held on May 4, and the winning art will be featured on “Climate Hope Voter Pledge Cards,” which church members throughout the UCC will be encouraged to collect during the summer and fall before Election Day.

Register now to receive a Vote for Climate Hope art template. Updates and resources for the campaign will also be sent by email, including a submission link. Nearly 900 works of art by church youth — from preschoolers to high schoolers — were entered last year from more than 300 churches in 40 states.

Earth Summit in April

Environmental Justice Ministries are also gearing up for the UCC’s second annual Earth Summit on April 20, which will feature celebrated author and activist Bill McKibben delivering the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture, “Energy from Heaven or Energy from Hell?”

The two-and-a-half-hour summit will also feature a panel of grassroots leaders, the announcement of the Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award winner, a celebration of the UCC’s newest Creation Justice churches and a video showcasing the environmental ministries of the host congregation, The Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Register for the Earth Summit here.

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