Open to students, K-12, attending a school in the Oro Loma Sanitary District that is serviced by Waste Management for recycling

For the twelfth year in a row, Oro Loma Sanitary District and Waste Management are sponsoring an Earth Day Poster Contest. The contest is free and open to all students attending a school located in the Oro Loma Sanitary District that is serviced by Waste Management for recycling.
This year's contest slogan is: Paper-Too Good to Waste! Students must create a poster that shows how by reducing the amount of paper we buy, reusing the paper we have, and recycling paper after we are through with it, we can save resources, reduce pollution, create jobs, and decrease the need for new landfills. The contest kicks off on January 17, 2006. The entry deadline is March 17, 2006. A list of cash winners in each grade category will be announced on the contest hotline at (510) 613-2855 and on www.oroloma.org on Earth Day, April 22, 2006. The specific placement of winners within each grade category will be unveiled at an awards ceremony on May 9, 2006.

Prizes are as follows: First Place $500, Second Place $300, Third Place $200, Honorable Mention (two awarded) $100. Prizes will be awarded to the winning students in each of six grade groups: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-10, 11-12. Matching cash prizes will be awarded to the winning students' schools. A Certificate of Merit will be given to the 15 finalists in each grade category who do not win a cash prize.
Free poster paper with an entry form printed on the back may be picked up at the student's school, at Waste Management's Oakland office (172 98th Avenue), and at the Oro Loma Sanitary District office (2600 Grant Avenue, San Lorenzo). An entry form is also available for download from www.oroloma.org and one is printed in the Oro Loma 2005-2006 calendar.

All winning posters will be printed on the back of the Oro Loma 2006-2007 calendar. A selection of these posters will also be featured on each month.

All posters will be returned to the schools that submitted them. For more information, call the 24-hour contest hotline at (510) 613-2855 or visit www.oroloma.org.

Oro Loma Earth Day 2006 Poster Contest
"Paper-Too good to waste!"

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is sponsoring the contest?
Oro Loma Sanitary District and Waste Management of Alameda County are sponsoring the Oro Loma Earth Day 2006 Poster Contest.

What are the prizes?
First Place: $500
Second Place: $300
Third Place: $200
Honorable Mention (2 awarded): $100
Prizes will be awarded in six grade categories: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-10, 11-12.
Matching cash prizes will be awarded to the students' schools. A Certificate of Merit will be given to the 15 finalists in each grade group who do not win a cash prize.

Who is eligible?
All students in grades K-12 attending a school located in the Oro Loma Sanitary District that is serviced by Waste Management for recycling are eligible to compete. Only individual students may enter; groups are not eligible to compete.

How do I know if I attend a school that is eligible to participate in the contest?
A list of eligible schools is posted here on the Oro Loma Web site. Click the link at the top of this page. You can also call the contest hotline at (510) 613-2855 to find out if your school is eligible to participate.

I entered the contest last year, but I don't see my school on the list of eligible schools this year. Why isn't my school on the list?
The annual poster contest is cosponsored by Oro Loma and Waste Management, the company that provides garbage, green waste, and recycling services to Oro Loma customers. The contest is funded through recycling funds and, by law, only those schools that use Oro Loma and Waste Management for recycling are eligible to participate in the contest.
The Hayward Unified School District uses a different recycling service provider; therefore, schools in the Hayward Unified School District are not qualified to participate in the Oro Loma/Waste Management 2006 Poster Contest.

What if I live in the Oro Loma Sanitary District but attend school outside the District?
Sorry, only students who attend a school in the Oro Loma Sanitary District that is serviced by Waste Management for recycling are eligible to participate. Students who attend an eligible school but live outside the District are eligible to participate.

Is there an entry fee?
No, entry is free to all eligible students.

How many times can I enter?
You may only enter once. If a student submits more than one entry, all of his/her entries will be disqualified.

Can a group submit an entry?
No. Only individual students may enter the contest.

Do I need to submit an entry through my school?
Oro Loma Sanitary District encourages all students in eligible schools to participate. Students may enter on their own even if their class or school is not participating.

How will the posters be judged?
Posters must show how reducing, reusing, and recycling paper is good for the environment and for the community. Posters will also be judged on creativity and artistic content.

Can my parents or teachers help me make the poster?
All artwork must be the sole and original work of the student or group. Adult participation must be limited to advice only. Posters that are copied from other sources will not be considered to be original.

Can my poster be a collage?
Posters may contain elements of printed material as long as the completed collage is the original creation of the student.

Can I use a computer to create my poster?
Computer generated posters are permitted as long as the images contained therein are the sole work of the student.

How can I find out how to reduce, reuse, and recycle paper?
The Oro Loma 2005-2006 calendar lists some ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle paper. Free calendars were distributed to schools within the District. If you did not receive a calendar, you may pick one up at the District Office at 2600 Grant Ave. in San Lorenzo. This list is also available here on the Website.

Where can I get an entry form?
Entry forms will be available starting January 17, 2006, at eligible schools located within the District, at the Waste Management office at 172 98th Avenue, Oakland, and at the Oro Loma Sanitary District office at 2660 Grant Avenue, San Lorenzo. An entry form is also available for download (Click the link at the top of the page) and one is printed in the Oro Loma 2005-2006 calendar. Calendars are available free at the Oro Loma Sanitary District office.

What should I do with my entry form?
All entry forms must be completed in full. All incomplete entries will be disqualified. If you have downloaded the entry form, or are using the one printed in the calendar, you must securely tape the form to the back of the poster being submitted. Entry forms picked up at Waste Management, at Oro Loma, or at eligible schools will be printed on the back of the poster paper you need to use for your poster. Be sure to read the contest rules carefully before entering. If you have any questions, call the contest hotline at (510) 613-2855.

How big should I make my poster?
All posters must be created on poster paper that is exactly 11" x 17". Poster paper with entry forms printed on the back will be available for free at the Waste Management Oakland office, at the Oro Loma Sanitary District office, and at eligible schools. You may also use your own poster paper, but it must measure exactly 11" x 17". If you use your own paper, you must securely tape your completed entry form to the back.

When is the contest deadline?
The contest ends March 17, 2006.

Where do I send my entry?
San Lorenzo Unified school students should send their entries to Sylvia Beles, Education Services Department. All other participants should send or deliver their entries directly to Waste Management, attention Oro Loma Poster Contest, 172 98th Avenue, Oakland, California 94603-1004 or at the Oro Loma District office at 2600 Grant Avenue,
San Lorenzo.

When will winners be announced?
The cash prize winners in each grade category will be announced on the contest hotline at (510) 613-2855 on April 22, Earth Day. This list will also be posted on the Oro Loma Web site at www.oroloma.org. On May 9, 2006, an awards ceremony will be held to honor the cash prize winners. The announcement of which students have won first, second, third place, and honorable mentions within each grade category will be unveiled at this ceremony. After the awards ceremony, an updated list that shows the placement of winners will be announced and posted. A list of Certificate on Merit winners will also be posted on the Oro Loma Web site.

Can I get my poster back?
All posters will be returned to the schools that submitted them.

Are students required to provide anything else?
Once a winner has been notified that his/her poster has been selected as a cash winner, he/she must provide a recent ('05/'06) color school photograph and a brief autobiography that become the property of the Oro Loma Sanitary District.

How can I get more information?
Call the contest's 24-hour hotline at (510) 613-2855.