Kids' Art Contests (Drawing, Painting, Slime, Interlocking Blocks, Statehood)

$0.00

PRIZES

Blue (1st place), red (2nd place), and white (3rd place) ribbons will be awarded in the following categories:

  • Best Kids’ Drawing

  • Best Kids’ Painting

  • Best Kids’ Slime

One blue (1st place) ribbon will be awarded in the following category:

  • Best Kids’ Artwork - Youth Voices for Statehood

  • Best Kids' Creation Using Interlocking Blocks

RULES

  1. Individuals submitting an entry must be 13 years old or younger and must have approval from their parent/guardian to participate. The exception is the youth voices for statehood contest, for which individuals submitting must be between the ages of 11 and 18.

  2. All drawing and painting entries are to be two-dimensional on a single sheet of paper, no larger than 8.5” x 11”.

  3. Individuals may not submit more than one entry for each of the categories listed above.

  4. For drawings, entries may be created by pencil, crayon, colored pencil, or marker. 

  5. For paintings, entries may be created by paint, watercolor, or pastel.

  6. For slime, each entry must have 10 ounces of slime or less. Entries must not use any of the following additives in ingredients: Borax (any pure or high concentration of borax diluted in liquid); thermo-chromatic pigment (heat sensitive color changing powder); aerosol sprays or Aerosol strings (silly string); any poisonous, explosive substance, or any harmful chemicals; any liquid detergents; parts that would expose the public, judges, or volunteers to injury (e.g., sharp edges or points). Entries must be submitted in a sealed bag or container with lid.

  7. For the youth voices for statehood contest, entries can take any form, such as painting, drawing, poetry, a recording of a song, or a recording of a dance. Individuals registering for the youth voices for statehood contest will be invited to the Youth Voices for DC Statehood Showcase held by the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia on September 12.

  8. Entries must be original works of art in specified media, and completed within the past two years, and not previously exhibited at the DC State Fair.

  9. The DC State Fair is not responsible for any damage to entries.

JUDGING CRITERIA

For drawing, painting, or creation using interlocking blocks:

  1. Design (40%)

    1. Artwork has appealing and interesting shape, form, color, and/or proportion.

  2. Creativity (30%)

    1. Artwork exhibits originality.

  3. Happiness (30%)

    1. Artwork brings joy to the judge.

For slime:

  1. Appearance (40%)

    1. Slime has an appealing look that catches the eye and sparks curiosity.

  2. Texture (20%)

    1. Slime has a pleasant texture when squished and can stretch some before it breaks.

  3. Sound (20%)

    1. Slime makes a fun sound when squished.

  4. Creativity (20%)

    1. Slime incorporates a unique combination of textures, colors, and ingredients.

For youth voices for statehood:

  1. Creativity (50%)

    1. Artwork exhibits originality.

  2. Statehood Value (50%)

    1. Artwork effectively conveys the importance of DC statehood.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

For drawing, painting, or slime:

  1. Register for the kids’ art contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2026-contests by 11:00 pm on Friday, August 21. No walk-up registrations will be accepted. It’s recommended to register with the child’s name as the registrant and the parent’s email.

  2. Bring your entry, accompanied with a removable label that includes your name, the contest category, and the name of the entry (see template), to the 4th Floor Conference Center at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St NW on Saturday, August 29 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.

PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To pick up your entry, you (or someone on your behalf) must pick it up between 4:00 and 5:00 pm on the same day as judging (Saturday, August 29) from Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

For kids’ creation using interlocking blocks or youth voices for statehood:

  1. Register for the kids’ art contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2026-contests by 11:00 pm on Friday, August 21. 

  2. Submit a photo (or other file type if needed for youth voices for statehood) of your entry at https://forms.gle/2XvW6nPFciP9tu4k7 by 11:00 pm on Friday, August 21. For the file name of the entry, please use the following naming convention: Contest Name_Entry Name_Last Name. For example, Blocks_Pizza Mansion_Anderson. 

    1. Note that uploading documents to that form requires a Google account sign in. If you are unable to access or submit the form, please send your submission to contests@dcstatefair.org, with the subject line “Blocks Contest Submission.” In the email, include your name, the email you used to register for the contest, and the name of the entry.

Category:

PRIZES

Blue (1st place), red (2nd place), and white (3rd place) ribbons will be awarded in the following categories:

  • Best Kids’ Drawing

  • Best Kids’ Painting

  • Best Kids’ Slime

One blue (1st place) ribbon will be awarded in the following category:

  • Best Kids’ Artwork - Youth Voices for Statehood

  • Best Kids' Creation Using Interlocking Blocks

RULES

  1. Individuals submitting an entry must be 13 years old or younger and must have approval from their parent/guardian to participate. The exception is the youth voices for statehood contest, for which individuals submitting must be between the ages of 11 and 18.

  2. All drawing and painting entries are to be two-dimensional on a single sheet of paper, no larger than 8.5” x 11”.

  3. Individuals may not submit more than one entry for each of the categories listed above.

  4. For drawings, entries may be created by pencil, crayon, colored pencil, or marker. 

  5. For paintings, entries may be created by paint, watercolor, or pastel.

  6. For slime, each entry must have 10 ounces of slime or less. Entries must not use any of the following additives in ingredients: Borax (any pure or high concentration of borax diluted in liquid); thermo-chromatic pigment (heat sensitive color changing powder); aerosol sprays or Aerosol strings (silly string); any poisonous, explosive substance, or any harmful chemicals; any liquid detergents; parts that would expose the public, judges, or volunteers to injury (e.g., sharp edges or points). Entries must be submitted in a sealed bag or container with lid.

  7. For the youth voices for statehood contest, entries can take any form, such as painting, drawing, poetry, a recording of a song, or a recording of a dance. Individuals registering for the youth voices for statehood contest will be invited to the Youth Voices for DC Statehood Showcase held by the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia on September 12.

  8. Entries must be original works of art in specified media, and completed within the past two years, and not previously exhibited at the DC State Fair.

  9. The DC State Fair is not responsible for any damage to entries.

JUDGING CRITERIA

For drawing, painting, or creation using interlocking blocks:

  1. Design (40%)

    1. Artwork has appealing and interesting shape, form, color, and/or proportion.

  2. Creativity (30%)

    1. Artwork exhibits originality.

  3. Happiness (30%)

    1. Artwork brings joy to the judge.

For slime:

  1. Appearance (40%)

    1. Slime has an appealing look that catches the eye and sparks curiosity.

  2. Texture (20%)

    1. Slime has a pleasant texture when squished and can stretch some before it breaks.

  3. Sound (20%)

    1. Slime makes a fun sound when squished.

  4. Creativity (20%)

    1. Slime incorporates a unique combination of textures, colors, and ingredients.

For youth voices for statehood:

  1. Creativity (50%)

    1. Artwork exhibits originality.

  2. Statehood Value (50%)

    1. Artwork effectively conveys the importance of DC statehood.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

For drawing, painting, or slime:

  1. Register for the kids’ art contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2026-contests by 11:00 pm on Friday, August 21. No walk-up registrations will be accepted. It’s recommended to register with the child’s name as the registrant and the parent’s email.

  2. Bring your entry, accompanied with a removable label that includes your name, the contest category, and the name of the entry (see template), to the 4th Floor Conference Center at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St NW on Saturday, August 29 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.

PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To pick up your entry, you (or someone on your behalf) must pick it up between 4:00 and 5:00 pm on the same day as judging (Saturday, August 29) from Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

For kids’ creation using interlocking blocks or youth voices for statehood:

  1. Register for the kids’ art contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2026-contests by 11:00 pm on Friday, August 21. 

  2. Submit a photo (or other file type if needed for youth voices for statehood) of your entry at https://forms.gle/2XvW6nPFciP9tu4k7 by 11:00 pm on Friday, August 21. For the file name of the entry, please use the following naming convention: Contest Name_Entry Name_Last Name. For example, Blocks_Pizza Mansion_Anderson. 

    1. Note that uploading documents to that form requires a Google account sign in. If you are unable to access or submit the form, please send your submission to contests@dcstatefair.org, with the subject line “Blocks Contest Submission.” In the email, include your name, the email you used to register for the contest, and the name of the entry.