The annual Growing Works of Art Contest encourages students to celebrate their appreciation of, and personal connection to, trees through written essays and artwork.
The theme for the 2025 contest was “Tree Tales from A to Z.”Students in Grades K-8 were asked to chose a letter of the alphabet, identify a tree-themed word beginning with that letter and write an essay and create a piece of art using any medium.
Entries were judged on creativity and originality (50 percent) and how well the student conveyed their story through writing and art (50 percent). The winner in each grade received a Vermont State Park punch pass.
The winning essays and art can be viewed online at go.uvm.edu/growingart. They also were featured on “Across the Fence,” University of Vermont (UVM) Extension's weekday farm and home program on WCAX-TV, on May 2. The show can be viewed at https://go.uvm.edu/atf-youtube.
This year’s winners are:
Kindergarten: Eden Mier, Barre; Barre Town Elementary School
First Grade: Autumn Grace Pavlick, West Burke; home school student
Second Grade: Abigail M., Essex Junction; home school student
Third Grade: Ivy Everson, White River Junction; White River School
Fourth Grade: Cora Mier, Barre; Barre Town Middle School
Seventh Grade: Myriam Girroir, Jeffersonville; home school student
Eighth Grade: Evelyn Pike, Mendon; Barstow Memorial School
The contest is sponsored annually by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program, a partnership between UVM Extension and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Eden Mier’s entry in the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program's Growing Works of Art contest was judged the best in the kindergarten division. Eden attends Barre Town Elementary School. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)Autumn Grace Pavlick, a home school student from West Burke, was named the winner for Grade 1 in the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program's Growing Works of Art contest this year. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)The Grade 2 winner in the 2025 Growing Works of Art contest, sponsored by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program, was Abigail M., an Essex Junction home school student. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)Ivy Everson, a student at the White River School in White River Junction, submitted the winning artwork and written story for Grade 3 in the 2025 Growing Works of Art contest, sponsored by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)Judges for the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program's Growing Works of Art contest selected Cora Mier’s entry as the best for Grade 4. Cora lives in Barre and is a student at the Barre Town Middle School. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)A work of art and story about a tree by Alyssa Boucher, Bakersfield, was named the top Grade 5 entry in the 2025 Growing Works of Art contest, sponsored by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)Zoey Jensen, Highgate Center, submitted the top entry for Grade 6 in the 2025 Growing Works of Art contest, sponsored by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)Jeffersonville home school student Myriam Girroir captured first place for Grade 7 in the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program's Growing Works of Art contest. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)Barstow Memorial School student Evelyn Pike of Mendon was named the winner for Grade 8 in the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program's Growing Works of Art contest. (photo courtesy of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program)
