Calling young artists to submit to Choose Iowa Calendar Contest

Entries should feature the connection of agriculture to everyday life

Apr. 24, 2023 9:49 am, Updated: May. 1, 2023 1:02 pm

The Gazette People walk along the Grand Concourse during the 2018 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. This year's fair runs Aug. 8 to 18. — People walk along the Grand Concourse during the 2018 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. (The Gazette(

Submissions are being accepted from kids for the 2023 Choose Iowa Calendar Contest.

Students up to 18-years-old are invited to submit artwork that features at least one aspect of Iowa agriculture with an emphasis on food, livestock or crop production to be included in 2023-24 Choose Iowa calendar distributed Iowa State Fair and online at ChooseIowa.com all year.

Submissions will be judged on creativity and the connection of agriculture to everyday life. Entries are due June 1, 2023, and winners will be announced at the 2023 Iowa State Fair. The contest is hosted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, which ensures animal health, food safety and consumer protection. It also promotes conservation efforts to preserve our land and enhance water quality for the next generation.

“Iowa farmers have a longstanding tradition of producing high-quality food,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a news release. “Choose Iowa is all about connecting consumers to the great products that Iowans are growing, raising, processing and marketing every day. All Iowa students are positively impacted by agriculture in their daily lives. The Choose Iowa Calendar Contest is a fun way to showcase agriculture while giving recognition to some of our state’s most creative students.”

Naig will honor the winning artists during a special awards ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 15, in the Agriculture Building at the 2023 Iowa State Fair.

Pictures should be drawn on plain white, 8.5 by 11-inch paper in a horizontal orientation using only black lines. The pictures should not be colored in. For creative inspiration, previous calendars may be viewed online at chooseiowa.com.

Entries can be emailed to chooseiowa@iowaagriculture.gov or mailed to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Attn: Choose Iowa Calendar, 502 E 9th St., Des Moines, Iowa, 50319.

Each submission should include basic information about the artist (on the back of the entry or a separate sheet), including the artist’s name, age, grade, school, hometown and the name, email and phone number of a parent or guardian.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com