GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s time for Alachua County middle school, high school and college students to get creative and turn “waste” into art for the 21st annual “Trashformations” competition.

A piece entered in a previous Trashformations competition.
A middle school student entered this piece titled “T-Bot” in a previous Trashformations competition. ©Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

The Florida Museum of Natural History will display the winning entries from Nov. 22 to Dec. 2. The museum hosts the competition in collaboration with the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners and Alachua County Department of Solid Waste & Resource Recovery.

Interested students should complete an online application and ensure that their art is made from at least 70% recycled materials. Applications are available now through Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. To enter the competition and see a full list of artist criteria, visit https://alachuacounty.us/trashformations.

“Everything we throw away must go somewhere” said Shelley Samec, Alachua County waste alternatives specialist. “Here is an opportunity for the community to come together, get creative and fix the worldwide problem of waste.”

Visitors look at Trashformations entries.
Visitors explore art created for the Trashformations competition at the Florida Museum. Students in middle school, high school and college are encouraged to participate. ©Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

The Florida Museum will host an award ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 22. Judges will choose winning art based on the student’s creative expression and innovative use of recycled materials. Past judges have included teachers, art professors, museum curators, art appraisers and gallery owners.

The top three finishers in each age category will win cash prizes of $400, $300 and $200. Additional winning entries in each category include the Waste Watcher Award and the Director’s Natural History Award for Excellence in Recycling to recognize the submission that best exemplifies the museum’s mission of “Inspiring people to care about life on Earth.”

For more information on the awards ceremony, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/trashformations or call 352-273-2061.

For more information on the competition or to submit an application, visit https://alachuacounty.us/trashformations, or call 352-548-1297.

-30-

Source: Shelley Samec, 352-548-1297, ssamec@alachuacounty.us
Writer: Gillian Sweeney, 352-273-2032, printern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, APR, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu