Imagine A Day Without Water

Could you go a day without water? No water to drink or use to make food. No water to shower, flush the toilet, or brush your teeth. Firefighters couldn’t put out fires, pools would be closed, and farmers couldn’t water their crops. 

We are excited to announce that the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County Service Authority, and Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority are holding their 8^th annual Imagine a Day without Water Art Contest. Each year, we ask youth to show us why we must value and save water in our community. This year’s art contest continues to allow for flexibility to ensure our entire community can participate in our contest and provide an opportunity for the youth in our community to learn and illustrate the importance of water.

The 2022 Imagine a Day without Water Art Contest asks youth to consider this year’s theme of “Value of Water” in their artistic creations. Art submissions will be accepted starting on September 28th in anticipation for the National Imagine a Day With(out) Water day on October 20th. The contest will be open to all youth in grades K – 12th living in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Submissions must be original, 2-D creations but can be any size and may include photography. 

All Imagine a Day without Water art entries must be submitted by October 31^st. Submissions will be accepted via direct mail to the Charlottesville’s Department of Public Works (305 4^th St. NW, Charlottesville, VA 22903) or electronically through our submission and online voting platform. In addition, there is an opportunity to drop off entries in-person at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s Central, Northside, and Crozet Branches during their normal hours of service. 

2021’s contest was a huge success bringing in 224 entries, and we are excited for increased participation this year. There will be cash prizes awarded to the finalists in different age categories and a fan favorite will be selected by the community (online voting available November 14^th through 28^th). Winners will be announced via press release on December 7^th. Four teachers will also be honored for their support of the contest and campaign through a random drawing and the teacher that had the most students that participated. 

We are excited to see the youth’s creativity and why or how they value water!

One important note this year is that the national Imagine a Day without Water campaign has been reframed to Imagine a Day With(out) Water. For many Americans living a day without water is a reality and not something they need to imagine. Whether it is a drought, contaminated water source, or inability to pay a water bill, access to safe, clean drinking water is unfortunately not something everyone can depend on. This year we join the national call to action for the need of sustainable, equitable, and safe drinking water for all. In Charlottesville, we can join this effort by valuing water and only using what we need. 

You can learn more about the Value of Water Coalition and the National Imagine a Day without Water Campaign on their website.