Holiday Card Contest Photo of art supplies

2023 Holiday Card Contest

NEW THIS YEAR! Contest now open to students in grades 7-12

The annual holiday card contest is an opportunity for Idaho students to showcase their creativity and for the state to recognize the importance of arts in education. The contest is open to all Idaho public school students in grades K-12. An overall winner will be chosen for each of two divisions, one for grades K-6 and one for grades 7-12.

Each overall winner's artwork will be published on the State Department of Education’s website and used as the Department’s holiday greeting card. The students selected as overall winners will receive cards for their own use. The Department also selects grade-level winners. See last year's overall winner below.

Holiday artwork for the contest must be submitted or postmarked by Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.

Digital Submission Form Review Guidelines

2022 Holiday Card Contest Overall Winner

  • Brynlee Parce
  • 3rd Grade
  • Spalding STEM Academy
  • West Ada School District

Holiday Card Contest Guidelines

Please read these guidelines before submitting. We will not accept photography, videos, or digitally made entries. Please hand draw the entry and then scan it. Submit as a PDF. Entries not submitted in PDF format will not be accepted.

  1. Drawings should reflect holiday or winter scenes in Idaho appropriate for seasonal correspondence, and should not include copyrighted images such as Garfield the Cat, Bugs Bunny, etc.
  2. Drawings should be 11" x 8.5"
  3. Drawings must be properly labeled. Write the name of the student, the student's grade, district, school, and the teachers’ name on the back of the artwork. If you are a teacher submitting entries from multiple grade levels, please keep the entries for each grade level separate.
  4. Students may use as many colors as they wish in their drawings and may use watercolors, paint, colored paper, markers, crayons, or some combination. Students are encouraged to completely fill the page but keep the design simple. Too many details tend to get lost in the design. Bold colors work best. Fabric designs and pencil drawings are not suitable to our printing process and will not be selected. This includes colored pencils.
  5. Students must be advised that entry into this contest constitutes 1. a waiver of all copyrights students have in their entries, and 2. permission to republish entries without compensation.
  6. Drawings will not be returned.
  7. The winning entries from each grade level will be published on the Idaho State Department of Education website.
  8. Results will be announced in December.

Submissions must be received by Friday, November 17, 2023. Please mail to:

Idaho State Department of Education
Attn: Tara Kleffner
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0027