2025 Trash Art Contest

purple background with a small white w on the right; text reads uw recycling's 2025 trash art contest;

UW Recycling's 2025 Trash Art Contest opens February 12! Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as waste or a literary piece about waste and sustainability. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff.

Categories include:

  • 2D art
  • 3D art
  • Textile art
  • Literature

Submissions are due March 28, 2025 at 4 p.m. PDT. Winners for each category will receive $100 or $50 e-gift cards to a low-waste shop or art store.

EarthLab undergraduate art contest

EarthLab Visual Arts Contest

UW EarthLab is holding its first UW Undergraduate Student Art Competition, calling for original pieces of art that answers the question: What does environmental and climate justice mean to you are your community?

Prizes are available to the top three entries, with $600 for the winner. The winning entries will also be exhibited in the EarthLab offices for a year. Submissions are due on May 1, 2024. Winners will be announced in mid-May 2024.

2024 Trash Art Contest

text reads: UW Recycling 2024 Trash Art Contest on a purple background with the University of Washington logo

UW Recycling is now accepting entries for the 2024 Trash Art Contest! Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as waste or a literary piece about waste.

Categories include:

  • 2D art
  • 3D art
  • Textile art
  • Literature

Art pieces should express feelings or ideas about waste, or a sustainability topic that relates to waste. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff.

2023 Trash Art Contest winners announced

little plastic rectangles that spell out TAGC

Artists from around the UW created astounding art pieces from trash in the fourth annual Trash Art Contest.

UW Recycling received 23 submissions from UW students, faculty and staff. Five winning pieces were selected in three categories. The artwork needed to be created from items normally thought of as trash or a written work about waste and sustainability. Artists were asked to express feelings or ideas about waste, or a sustainability topic that relates to waste.

2023 Trash Art Contest

purple background with white university of washington w; text reads uw recycling 2023 trash art contest; image is of a dress made of trash; caption of image says metamorphosis by isabella harris

UW Recycling is excited to host another Trash Art Contest for 2023!

Categories include literature, 2D and 3D art. Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as trash or a literary piece about waste. Art pieces should express feelings or ideas about waste, or a sustainability topic that relates to waste. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff.

Submissions are due March 22, 2023 at 4 p.m. PST. Winners for each category will receive $100 or $50 gift cards to a low waste store.