2024 Art & Poster Contest
DIG INTO A NEW DAY:
OUR WORLD IS A GARDEN OF DELIGHTS
2024 Art & Poster Contest for the 2025 Calendar
Every year the National Affordable Housing Management Association sponsors a Calendar Contest for residents of local AHMA properties. Children, elderly residents and residents with special needs are welcome to submit artwork. Entries are due to PennDel AHMA by May 22.
Download the Rules & Entry Form
WHAT ARE THE CONTEST PRIZES?
The winners of each local AHMA's contest receive various prizes from the AHMA. All winners of the national contest receive educational scholarships in the form of a NAHMA Educational Foundation check. All national winners will appear in the 2024 calendar with a short artist bio and photo. The national contest's grand prizewinner, whose art will appear on the cover of the calendar, receives an educational scholarship and a trip to Washington, D.C., where he or she will be honored at the NAHMA Fall Meeting in October 2024.
NAHMA Prizes
Grand Prizewinner: $2,500 check and a trip to Washington, D.C.
National Winners: $1,000 check
Honorable Mentions: $100 check
CONTEST RULES
Who is eligible to enter the calendar contest?
Children: Children who live in a family community of a NAHMA and/or a local AHMA member company.
Seniors: Residents who are 55 years or older who live in a community of a NAHMA and/or a local AHMA member company.
Residents with Special Needs: Residents who live in a permanent supportive housing community or Section 811 community of a NAHMA and/or a local AHMA member company.
How does the contest work?
Local AHMAs will select up to three winning posters, photographs*, websites*, computer art* or other media*—such as tile, macramé, needlework, etc.—which must be submitted as a photograph, from each category (i.e., seniors, residents with special needs and each children's grade level). *See detailed descriptions for format and size in another section of the contest rules.
The five grade categories for children are based on the grade level the contestants have completed by June 2024:
Kindergarten-first grade
Second-third grade
Fourth-sixth grade
Seventh-ninth grade
10th-12th grade
While we encourage community activities to discuss the theme and contest rules, ENTRIES MUST BE CREATED BY THE INDIVIDUAL WITHOUT ASSISTANCE.
All AHMA winning submissions are forwarded to NAHMA, where a distinguished panel of judges will select the 13 winning entries that will appear inside the pages of the 2025 calendar, including submissions from children, seniors, and residents with special needs. One exceptional entry will be selected as the grand prizewinner, which will appear on the cover. Only children are eligible to become the grand prizewinners.
All art submitted to NAHMA becomes the property of NAHMA and NAHMA has the right to use the art for publicity, publications, and advertisements.
How are the art submissions judged?
Entries are judged on the artist's ability to create a submission with the Dig Into a New Day: Our World is a Garden of Delights contest subtheme. The artwork must be original and cannot be a replica or reproduction of someone else's creation. Artwork that is not original will be disqualified.
Specifically, judges consider:
Representation of the subtheme: Dig Into a New Day: Our World is a Garden of Delights.
Originality of the submission.
Quality: Is the art submission appealing to the eye?
Overall Artistic Ability: Does the art submission show some degree of creativity and skill for its age group? Will the submission be able to be reproduced with reasonable quality and clarity?
What specifications must the artistic submission meet to enter?
Posters must be done on poster board (or heavy art paper) measuring 22 inches x 28 inches.
Any media may be used for the posters, including paints, crayons, color pencils, chalk, and collage, but contestants are advised to ensure that the media selected results in a flat surface and can be adequately protected against damage.
The poster must be marked clearly with the official entry form attached.
Photography can be in color or black and white and must measure at least 8 inches x 10 inches but not larger than 22 inches x 28 inches.
Website design: webpages must be printed in color and measure 8.5 inches x 11 inches, and then mounted to poster board measuring 22 inches x 28 inches.
Digital art must be printed and measure at least 8.5 inches x 11 inches but not larger than 22 inches x 28 inches.
Other media such as tile, macramé, carving, quilting, needlework, etc., must be submitted as a photograph measuring at least 8 inches x 10 inches but not larger than 22 inches x 28 inches.
Not allowed on any poster or other forms of art are trademarked cartoon characters, proper names of individuals, product brands, or the name of the development or AHMA. Submissions from an AHMA that have any of these items will be disqualified.