The winner of the MAVEN student art contest turns out be the work of more than a single young person. The First Place entry, selected by online public vote, was the work of a Colorado-based Kindergarten Enrichment class.
The winning artwork was one of 377 submissions from children around the world; it earned 9,496 votes, with an average vote of 3.85 stars (out of a possible 5). The artwork shows a photograph of eight papier-mâché Mars models; each of the eight models represents a pair of students who teamed to decorate the models with items they would want to bring with them on a long journey to Mars.
The class’s teacher designed curriculum around the student art contest, teaching her students about Mars and the science of the MAVEN mission. She said, “We are so thrilled. Winning this contest will be a lifetime memory for my students and me.”
The First Place artwork will be flown with the other entries as a digital file on a DVD that MAVEN will carry with it to Mars. The art will also form the DVD label and will be visible on the outside of the MAVEN spacecraft.
The class enjoyed viewing the other entries, too, and thought they were beautiful. “We pulled up all the entries to view in class,” the teacher said. “Each child picked their favorite and got to vote. Not one child picked our own entry!”
The contest received 82,000 votes and was a hit on the MAVEN Twitter and Facebook social media platforms. Stephanie Renfrow, MAVEN Education & Public Outreach lead and Going to Mars campaign lead, said, “We are so pleased with the response to the art contest—the public voting turnout, the inspiring stories embedded in each student’s entry, and the beautiful winning artwork!”
To learn more about the First Place entry, view other winners, and learn about the contest, please visit http://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/goingtomars.
Please note that we use only the first names of our participants to protect their privacy.
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