Santa Monica Students Design 400 Posters for Climate Solutions

When you ask elementary and high school students to imagine solutions for climate change, you get 400 creative answers painted in poster form.

Santa Monica just wrapped its 18th annual Sustainable Student Poster Contest, and this year's theme asked young artists to show how their city can cut carbon emissions while building stronger communities. The results showcase zero-emission buses, kids on bikes, solar panels on rooftops, and electric vehicles cruising palm-lined streets.

The numbers tell an impressive story of community engagement. City staff and Sustainable Works visited 34 schools and afterschool programs, teaching 653 students about sustainability before they picked up markers and poster board. That educational foundation shows in the final submissions, which demonstrate real understanding of both the challenges and the practical solutions.

"This year's submissions were an impressive display of the students' understanding of the challenges and the solutions for a better tomorrow," said Senior Sustainability Analyst Ariana Vito. She noted that students focused on realistic local solutions already happening in their city, not just distant dreams.

Four grand prize winners emerged, one from each grade bracket. Phoebe Kaiser won for kindergarten through second grade, while Daenerys Smith took the elementary prize for third through fifth graders. Eloise Alexopoulos captured the middle school category, and Mia Patricio-Ramirez won the high school division.

Eight more students earned second and third place honors, with four additional honorable mentions recognizing the depth of talent. All 16 winners will celebrate together on May 13 at the Annenberg Community Beach House, where families and community members can view the artwork.

The winning posters are currently on display at Santa Monica Main Library through May 8, giving the wider community a chance to see climate solutions through young eyes.

The Ripple Effect

Santa Monica became one of the first U.S. cities to create a Sustainable City Plan, and that early commitment now flows through its youngest residents. These students aren't just learning about abstract environmental concepts. They're seeing Big Blue Buses roll by emission-free, watching solar panels appear on neighborhood buildings, and understanding that their own choices about transportation matter.

When 653 students learn about carbon reduction and community resilience, they carry those lessons home to families, sparking dinner table conversations about electric vehicles and clean energy. The poster contest transforms passive learning into active creativity, helping kids process complex challenges and imagine themselves as part of the solution.

These young artists are growing up in a city that shows them climate action isn't about sacrifice but about building better communities with cleaner air, more bike lanes, and renewable energy that powers their schools and homes.

Four hundred poster submissions represent four hundred young minds engaged with their planet's future, already designing the resilient world they want to inherit.