Elementary students across Idaho, including those in the Magic Valley, are invited to submit their renditions of holiday cards to the Idaho State Department of Education.

The annual Holiday Card Contest is a fun experiment in art for students in grades K-6. Idaho’s superintendent of public instruction, Sherri Ybarra, says seeing the array of art from the students is something she looks forward to every year.

“Placing an Idaho child’s artwork on our holiday card is a highlight of my year, even though it can be hard to choose: Last year we received more than 1,000 entries,” she said in a statement. “It’s great fun to see the talent, imagination and joy students bring to this contest.”

Students should reflect holiday or winter scenes in their card submissions, according to the education department, and cannot include copyrighted images such as Garfield the Cat, Bugs Bunny or Disney characters.

Other rules include:

  • Drawings should be on 8.5 x 11-inch paper in landscape format and must be labeled on the back with the student’s name, grade, school, school district and teacher’s name.
  • Students are encouraged to completely fill the page but keep the design simple, using as many colors as they want.
  • Students may use watercolors, colored paper, magic markers, crayons or a combination of those items. Pencil drawings and fabric designs will not be considered as they are not suitable for our printing process.

The department said winning entries from each grade level will be published on its website, with one being selected for use as the department’s official holiday card. The young artist who submits the winning design will receive cards for personal use.

You can view last year’s winners here.

Submission deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20. Mail entries to Idaho State Department of Education, Holiday Card Contest, attn. Karli Bennett, P.O. Box 83720 Boise 83720-0027.

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