Oregon Dept. of Forestry – 06/01/21 2:22 PM
(SALEM, Ore.) – Keep Oregon Green is celebrating its 80-year history by unveiling its first billboard poster art contest. The Association is asking Oregonians of all ages to create and submit entries and share their vision for keeping Oregon free of wildfire.
“We are excited to celebrate our important milestone by offering this fun opportunity to all Oregon residents. As over 70% of Oregon’s wildfires are human-caused, the power of prevention is 100% our shared responsibility,” said Kristin Babbs, president of the Keep Oregon Green Association. “The purpose of the poster contest is to involve the public in helping reduce the number of carless wildfires we see each year and remind everyone how critical it is to prevent them.”
The contest opens on June 1, and the entry deadline is 5 p.m., August 9, 2021 (Smokey Bear’s birthday).
All submitted artwork will be reviewed in Fall of 2021, and Oregon will become an open-air art gallery in 2022, showcasing the first-place winning artwork on billboards at major intersections, highways and interstates across the state.
There will be three separate divisions based on age. Within each division will be first, second, and third-place winners. Cash prizes and certificates will be awarded to the first three people who place in each age division (grades 1-5; 6-12; and 18+ years). All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
Keep Oregon Green’s annual wildfire prevention campaigns encourage residents and visitors to practice basic wildfire safety while enjoying the outdoors. TV and radio commercials, social media posts and billboards provide daily reminders to be careful with activities that can spark a wildfire during the most critical time of year. This year’s campaign features stunning photos of Oregon’s iconic landscapes and the use of the #OregonOurOregon hashtag.
For more wildfire prevention inspiration, contest rules, prizes and information on how and where to send your artwork, go to https://keeporegongreen.org/kog-billboard-contest-submissions/
About the Keep Oregon Green Association:
For 80 years the Keep Oregon Green Association has been educating the public on the how to prevent wildfires. Beginning its efforts in April of 1941, after a public outcry over the human-caused Tillamook Burns, roughly 250 Oregon leaders came together to form Keep Oregon Green (KOG). KOG’s mission is to promote healthy landscapes and safe communities by educating the public of everyone’s shared responsibility to prevent human-caused wildfires.