Art Contests
Art Contests
Boise School District students have many opportunities throughout the year to showcase their creativity through a variety of art contests and exhibits. From district-sponsored events like the Winter Card Art Contest, Calendar Contest, and Bob Wand Memorial Exhibit to additional community and statewide opportunities, these experiences celebrate student talent and connect young artists with authentic audiences beyond the classroom. Explore the contests below to learn how students can participate and share their artistic voice. 🎨
This page includes information about eligibility, themes, and submission timelines for both district contests and additional regional opportunities available to interested students and teachers.
Winter Card Art Contest
Our annual Winter Art Contest is run in conjunction with the St. Alphonsus Foundation Festival of Trees. All Boise elementary school students (grades PreK-6) are eligible to participate in this district contest. The winning entry will be featured on the holiday greeting cards which are sent out to friends of the Boise School District and of Saint Alphonsus. The winning artist will receive printed copies as well. All of the entries will be on display for tens of thousands of people to see at the Festival of Trees (at the Boise Centre November 25 - November 29) and the top entries will be displayed at the District Services Center during the month of December. The artists of the top100 entries will win a pass to the Festival of Trees and a gift card to Quality Art!
Entry Suggestions: Use bold, simple shapes, lines, textures, and colors. The finished product should be neat and clean. Subjects might be an old-fashioned winter, a winter scene, animals in winter, a geometric design, snowflakes and other symbols or interpretations of the season.
1. No letters, words, or names on the cover design.
2. Use of the entry from linked to the left is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED (mainly to make sure dimensions are correct for scanning winners.
3. Almost any media and techniques can be used, but we discourage glitter, because it doesn’t scan and reproduce well.
4. Use unlimited background colors.
5. Entries should be sent flat (without folding) to the Art Cottage by November 6, 2026.
Medium suggestions:
• watercolor wash over crayon or oil pastels
• cut paper designs
• tissue collage with felt tip or ink drawing
• stained glass design
• multi-cultural themes
• watercolor, pastels, tempers paints or block prints from styrofoam.
Let your imagination run wild! Just keep in mind that the winning entries will be scanned for printing, so nothing too thick or shiny as those are difficult to scan.
Online entry form.
Secondary Schools Winter Art Contest
This annual contest is run in conjunction with the St. Alphonsus Foundation Festival of Trees. All Boise secondary school students (grades 7-12) are eligible to participate in this district contest. Winners will receive Amazon gift certificates for places 1st-3rd. All of the entries will be on display for tens of thousands of people to see at the Festival of Trees (Boise Centre November 25 - November 29) and the top entries will be displayed at the District Services Center during the month of December.
There is no particular theme, however winter or holiday art is the focus. Details are:
- Art must be original and can be in any medium but must be 2-dimensional
- Only 2-dimensional art is eligible, but 3-dimensional projects like pop-out art, cut paper, etc. are admissible
- Please keep entries under a 12”x14” size.
- All winning entries will be matted for display at the DSC during the month of December.
- Please do not put the student’s name on the front of the artwork; however, all entries must include the student’s name, grade, school and teacher on the back of the piece.
DUE DATE: All art should be at the Art Cottage by 4:30pm on Friday, November 6, 2026. Can be sent through school mail or dropped off in person to the Art Cottage.
Boise Schools Calendar Contest
All District elementary students are encouraged to submit artwork representing the various months of the year. The top fourteen will be used to create the 2026-2027 Boise School District calendar and will be digitally posted on the School District’s website in the Calendar Contest Winners Gallery. Outstanding entry selections for each month are showcased at the District Services Center.
Entries should be at the Art Cottage no later than May 5, 2027, but students are encouraged to create and send those entries throughout the year. Entries may be sent to the Art Cottage through school mail or dropped off at the Art Cottage in person. Please make sure the form includes the student's full name, teacher, grade, school and the month it is being submitted for. Students can submit for more than one month. Please do not use glitter in designs, as it does not reproduce (scan/copy) well.
The link to download the entry form is below and can be downloaded and copied as necessary.
Bob Wand Memorial Exhibit Art Contest
Open to all District elementary students. Outstanding elementary art pieces created during the school year are submitted for this juried contest. Approximately 100 top selections travel to Boise School District elementary schools during the following school year as part of this traveling exhibit. Judges also select one exceptional piece of artwork from this contest as a Purchase Award to be presented to the Board of Trustees. This recognized piece becomes a part of the permanent art collection at the District Services Center. There is no official entry form - students may submit entries throughout the year, but all entries should be to the Art Cottage no later than May 5, 2027. Entries may be sent to the Art Cottage through school mail or dropped off at the Art Cottage in person. Please make sure these specifics are considered:
- Attach a label with student’s full name, grade, teacher and school on the back
- Enter only two-dimensional art
- Avoid entries larger than 18”, but within that measurement, we encourage a variety of sizes and formats (no glitter please)
- Send art to the Art Cottage by Friday, May 5, 2027.