3R's Art & Poetry Contest

Eligibility Requirements

• Students (grades 3 - 12) enrolled in a school or homeschooled within the City of Tampa limits under Tampa Solid Waste Service.
• Clients of the MacDonald Training Center Arts Program.
• Verify with schools list provided in the Rules & Regulations Packet link below:
  • To verify if you live within the City of Tampa, check your address using the online service tool: City of Tampa Address Verify
• Click on the button below to read complete rules & regulations. 

Dates

• Submission Deadline: 2026 submission date will be posted in Late November.
• Online Voting: Dates will be announced for the 2026 contest.
• Winners will be notified in March.
• Please review the Contest Rules & Regulations packet for more specifics and details.   

For questions, please email Edgar.CastroTello@tampagov.net.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

by Henry - Roland Park K - 8

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

To save our Earth

We only have one,

So, see it for what it’s worth.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Like the Earth depends on it,

(Because it kind of does)

I shouldn’t have to tell you,

You should just do it because.

I want no junk on this Earth I see,

We can still fix this broken prophecy.

Let’s keep Earth clean cause it’s all ours to share.

So, we have to take extra good care.
 

Humans' Last Chance

Gavin - Jesuit High School

Our beautiful earth conceived humans out of dust

Many years later, they leave the earth to rust

The blame lies on things quickly made and quickly consumed

Little do they know it will lead to human’s doom

Once sprawling cities now strangled by trash

Left to rot or burn to heaping piles of ash

Garbage and waste in rivers and streams

All because we wanted cheap jeans

The earth thinks she put up a good fight

While the humans lie down for one last night

If only they reduced what they thew away

They would be certain to live another day

Without humans Mother Earth will recover from the burns

And perhaps she’ll give humans another turn