June 11th

By Mutt Mulligan

“The (Really) Great Outdoors” contest winners announced

TurfMutt sends a big high paw to the winners of “The (Really) Great Outdoors” Contest. Thanks to the contest, the TurfMutt program was able to award $10,750 in prizes to students, teachers and schools. Impressively, there were over 2,700 contest submissions this year! That’s lots of kids who love their living landscapes.

Grand Prize Winner

Lauren Wu, a 6^th grade student at Robert Healy School in Chicago, IL, won the $2,500 grand prize for her essay and illustration about creating a community green space for her urban neighborhood. Designed to be inclusive so it serves everyone in the neighborhood, her outdoor space features an oak tree, a tree house stocked with books for reading, swings, zip lines, seating areas, flowers, shrubs and grass. This is something TurfMutt would love to see happen!

“People, plants, and animals live together in harmony here,” Lauren said in her entry. Her teacher, Nicole Hauser, and the school will each receive a $750 cash prize.

First Place Winner

Hope Wheatley, an 8th grader at Franklin Township Middle School East in Indianapolis, IN, won first place and a $2,000 cash prize for her entry. Hope created a comic strip that featured characters working together to design a community garden. Her teacher, Kelly Barnes, and the school will each receive a $500 cash prize.

Second Place Winner

An illustrated essay by 8th grader Angelica Undan of Kapolei Middle School in Kapolei, HI, won second place. Her outdoor space included areas for people to meditate and relax their mind and spirit. She will receive a $1,500 cash prize, and her teacher, Daryle Mishina, will receive a $250 cash prize.

Third Place Winners

This year’s contest entries were so exceptional that two third prizes were awarded. A detailed makeover plan for a school courtyard was designed by Sean Mayfair-Drennen, an 8th grader at Braden River Middle School in Bradenton, FL. He will receive a prize of $750. In an essay, he described his design for a courtyard with bright flowers and foliage. He wrote, “It would bring a new element to the school’s environment, bringing more than just color but life to the courtyard.” His teacher, Nora Hyde, and the school will each receive a cash prize of $125.

The other third-place winner was Luke Benkart, an 8th grader at Holy Sepulcher School in Butler, PA, who wrote an essay describing a naturescape with trails, waterfalls and playgrounds. His entry included a drawing of his space as well. He wrote, “Nature is one of the most beautiful things we have to enjoy in our world.” Luke will receive a cash prize of $750, and his teacher, Dorothy Johnson, and the school will each receive a cash prize of $125.

Contest Expansion

“This is the first year we’ve expanded our annual contest to middle schoolers, who came up with some beautiful and, more importantly, functional and purposeful designs for green spaces,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI and TurfMutt’s human. “A cornerstone of TurfMutt’s teaching is getting kids to understand that our lawns and greenspaces are urban habitats. These spaces are critical to wildlife, pollinators and the health and well-being of communities. Family yards, school yards and parks are part of a vast ecosystem that supports all of us. We mean it when we say nature starts at your back door. Introducing kids to the outdoors is good for them and good for all of us.”

To enter the contest, students drew upon their environmental science knowledge, planning and problem-solving skills, as well as their creativity to depict how their idea would benefit both the environment and their community, while also motivating the student (and others) to get outside and enjoy nature.

Learn More

From all of us at TurfMutt, congratulations to the winners! If you are inspired by these creative kids to learn more about the importance of our living landscapes, go to SaveLivingLandscapes.com.