Students in grades K through 12 are encouraged to submit an entry to the Hawai‘i poster competition “Fishing and Farming to the Cycles of the Moon and Seasons.” Teachers are encouraged to include the contest in their lesson plans. The contest asks students to draw or paint a poster that illustrates a traditional or contemporary fishing or farming activity related to a moon phase, month or season.
All things in nature are attuned to the cycle of the moon as it orbits Earth and the cycle of Earth as it orbits the sun. Through generations of observation, fishermen and farmers have learned to take advantage of the cycles of the moon and season that are reflected in nature’s cycle of abundance and scarcity. For example, fishermen know certain species will most likely gather at certain places during a certain times. Likewise, farmers plant when they know the moisture in the soil is closer to the surface.
The poster competition is divided into four categories: grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners from the four categories will each receive prizes, and selected winning entries from will be featured in the 2017 Hawaii Lunar Calendar. For examples of previous lunar calendars, go to www.wpcouncil.org/education-and-outreach/lunar-calendars/. The Council reserves the right to use all entries in other Council publications and venues.
Contest Rules and Judging Criteria
- Crayons, paint, pencil, magic marker, collage or other appropriate materials may be used for submissions.
- Posters should be on 8.5” x 11” or 11” x 17” paper in a landscape layout.
- Competitors must include their name, grade level, name of their teacher and school, and a contact telephone number for the school and student on the back of their submission.
- Posters will be judged by their appropriateness to the theme, artistic skill and creativity.
Helpful Links
- k-12 Student Art Contest
- 2017 K-12 Art Contest Teachers Info Sheet
- Hawaiian Moon Phases and Traditional Natural Resource Management
- 2016 Hawaiian Lunar Calendar Classroom edition
- Other previous Lunar Calendars
Entry deadline is noon, Monday, November 28, 2016. Teachers/students should drop or mail their posters to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813. For inquiries about the contest and the teacher’s lesson plan info sheets, please contact Sylvia Spalding at 522-5341 or at Sylvia.Spalding@wpcouncil.org or Charles Ka‘ai‘ai at Charles.Kaaiai@wpcouncil.org.