Photography Contest
Alex Xu of Clyde Hill, Washington, won first place in the photo contest with an image depicting the many uses of Earth materials—in the buildings, the power plant, the natural setting, and more—at the Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Plant, located in Snoqualmie, Washington (below).
Submissions illustrated the theme “Earth Materials in My Community.”
Finalists (in alphabetical order):
- Evan Costa of Chepachet, Rhode Island
- Ella Giguere of San Carlos, California
- Tori Judy of Belmont, California
- Jessica Malkin of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Justin Xu of Sugar Hill, Georgia, won first place in the visual arts contest with their drawing that included the many creative ways that Earth materials are used (below).
Students in grades K-5 made two-dimensional artworks illustrating the theme “Earth Materials and Me.”
Finalists (in alphabetical order):
- Teagin Costanzo of Mauldin, South Carolina
- Everett Lee of Fargo, North Dakota
- Elizabeth Xu of Sugar Hill, Georgia
- Nathan Xu of Clyde Hill, Washington
Essay Contest
Akhshith Rengaraju of Aurora, Illinois, won first place in the essay contest with their paper on “Our Next Step.”
Students in grades 6-9 wrote essays of up to 300 words addressing how we can develop practices and policies that allow us to derive practical value from raw materials while maintaining community values.
Finalists (in alphabetical order):
- Korina Cortezano of Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Archelaus Paxon of El Paso, Texas
- Rachel Xu of Gainesville, Florida
- Clara Zabik of Chagrin Falls, Ohio
The views and assertions presented in essays are neither endorsed by nor reflect the positions the American Geosciences Institute.
Video Contest
Isabella Van Deman & Faith Qin of Virginia Beach, Virginia (team), won first place in the video contest with their entry on halite, with respect to the many historical, cultural, and scientific dimensions, as an Earth material that people use. Click here to watch their winning video on YouTube.
Individuals and teams created brief, original videos exploring the many ways people interact with our planet’s raw materials.
Finalists (in alphabetical order):
- Achyut Balaji of Hillsboro, Oregon. Click here to watch their video YouTube.
- Shreya Dhanala of Folsom, California. Click here to watch their video YouTube.
- Jeremiah Johnson-Reynolds of Blythewood, South Carolina. Click here to watch their video YouTube.
- Sri Utami of Pamukkale, Denizli Province, Turkey. Click here to watch their video YouTube.