The City of Grand Rapids Water System is excited to host the 5th annual Imagine a Day Without Water Writing Contest. The contest is an opportunity for young people (3rd-12th grade students) to share why water is important to them and their community.
Entries can be submitted online, by email, or by mail. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Friday, October 13, 2023. The winners will be announced via email by October 27, 2023, and winning entries will be published on the Water System website.
This competition is made possible by the generous support of our contest sponsor:
Write any writing style (short essay, poetry, etc.) using the following theme.
The City of Grand Rapids Water System is celebrating its 150th birthday! Let your imagination soar as you picture the future of water in the year 2173, 150 years from now. Explore the possibilities and use your imagination to envision a hopeful future where everyone works together to protect and preserve this valuable resource, so we never experience a day without water.
All entries are limited to 250 words.
To enter the contest online, fill out this online form.
To enter contest via email or mail, download the entry form(PDF, 182KB).
Mail to:
Imagine a Day Without Water
1900 Oak Industrial Dr. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Or
Email to: adaywithoutwater@grcity.us
- All entries must respond to the theme.
- Entries must be the original work of one 3rd-12th grade student, with no collaborations.
- To enter contest via email or mail, download the entry form(PDF, 182KB).
- To enter the contest online, fill out this online form.
- Submission will be judged on message (keep in mind the theme), voice, creativity, and strength of the writing.
- Any writing style may be submitted (short essay, poetry, etc.) and is limited to 250 words or less.
- Students from the following townships/cities are eligible to submit an entry:
- City of Grand Rapids
- Ada Township
- City of East Grand Rapids
- Grand Rapids Township
- City of Kentwood
- Tallmadge Township
- City of Walker
- Wright Township
- Cascade Township
- Caledonia Township
Entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Friday, October 13, 2023.
This year the Water System is offering classroom visits during the month of October and providing an interactive presentation to help students with their writing submissions. During the presentation, students will learn about the City’s water system and the urban water cycle.
The deadline to submit the interest form is September 29, 2023.
Interest From
We have partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Library to offer free Imagine a Day Without Water activity kits during the month of October.
The kits include:
- Imagine a Day Without Water Placemat (crossword puzzle)
- Collapsible water bottle
- Crayons
- Recipe card for an edible aquifer
- Materials and instructions on how to make a water bracelet.
To learn more about where you can pick up your activity kit, visit grpl.org/grab-go-activity-kits/.
Thank you to the 200+ students that participated in the 2022 Imagine a Day Without Water Writing Contest! We awarded 23 gift cards to students ranging from $100 to $15. Below are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners:
1st Place
| Grade Group |
Name |
School |
| 5&6 |
Oscar Neal |
Center for Economicology |
| 5&6 |
Amelia Luga |
Center for Economicology |
| 5&6 |
Campbell McKinnon |
Center for Economicology |
| 11&12 |
Saniya Mishra |
Forest Hill Central High School |
| 9&10 |
Ayden Fisher |
Forest Hill Central High School |
2nd Place
| Grade Group |
Name |
School |
| 3&4 |
Issac Peterson |
CA Frost |
| 5&6 |
Evelyn Stadt |
Georgetown Elementary
|
| 5&6 |
Quinn Lemke |
Knapp Forest Elementary |
| 5&6 |
Ramona Hill |
Center for Economicology |
| 9&10 |
Camden Bino |
Central High School |
| 11&12 |
Iman Hammad |
Forest Hill Central High School |
2nd-Place-Entries.pdf(PDF, 262KB)
3rd Place
| Grade Group |
Name |
School |
| 5&6 |
Silas Howk |
GRCMS |
| 5&6 |
Anastasia Alber |
Crestwood Middle School |
| 5&6 |
Jo Day |
Crestwood Middle School |
| 7&8 |
Raiya Reppart |
City High Middle School |
| 9&10 |
Matt Sexton |
Forest Hill Central High School |
| 11&12 |
Sarah Hughes |
Forest Hill Central High School |
3rd-Place-Entries.pdf(PDF, 456KB)
4th Place
| Grade Group |
Name |
School |
| 3&4 |
Emery Fleet |
Orchard View Elementary |
| 5&6 |
Stephanie Perez |
Center for Economicology |
| 5&6 |
Mya Love |
Center for Economicology |
| 7&8 |
Amelia Groen |
City High Middle School |
| 5&6 |
Emma Vloedman |
Grand Rapids Cristian Middle School |
| 7&8 |
Arianna Hernandez Cuellar |
Shawmut Hills Academy |
4th-Place-Entries.pdf(PDF, 185KB)