The Youth Education Committee hosted its 68th Annual State Conservation Awareness Poster & Speaking Contests at our 72nd Annual Conference, held at Green Bay.

 

POSTER CONTEST


The conservation poster awareness theme in 2025 was Home is Where the Habitat is. Those registered for the conference were allowed to vote for the winning posters prior to the start of the conference.
 

For the poster contest, the first-place winner in the primary, elementary, middle, junior, and senior divisions will move on to represent Wisconsin at the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Poster Contest held at the NACD annual meeting in 2026. 
 

First Place Winners

Poster Contest Results

Primary Division (Grades K-1)

First Place: Lynnette Herrild, Sauk County
Second Place: Marley Bures, Sawyer County
Third Place: Olivia Kast, Shawano County

Elementary Division (Grades 2-3)

First Place: Blakely Abbrederis, Marquette County
Second Place: Sasha Worley, Washington County
Third Place: Dexter Kaiser, Grant County

Middle Division (Grades 4-6)

First Place: Calvin Faul, Fond du Lac County
Second Place: Piper Hatfield, Vernon County
Third Place: Delaney Darton, Vilas County

Junior Division (Grades 7-9)

First Place: Claire Miller, Pierce County
Second Place: Madeline Cleveland, Green County
Third Place: Sierra Brantner, Monroe County

Senior Division (Grades 10-12)

First Place: Vivian Spencer, Sauk County
Second Place: Elizabeth Bornick, Green Lake County
Third Place: Sakora Danforth, Dunn County

SPEAKING CONTEST

The first-place winning speakers from the elementary, junior and senior divisions presented their speeches to a crowd of close to 500 conservation professionals and guests from across the state at the conference’s opening luncheon. Speeches had to address a relevant, soil and water conservation issue, with emphasis on the impact of the issue in their locality or in Wisconsin.

Area speaking contest winners presented their speeches to a panel of judges during the Annual Conference in Green Bay.

First Place Winners

Speaking Contest Results

Elementary Division

First place: Adalyn Howe, Columbia County, "Together in Wisconsin: Keeping Wisconsin's Ecosystems Native and Thriving"
Second place: Sutton Pitlik, Oneida County, "Blue-Green Algae"
Third place: Sydney Walters, Washburn County, "Spiny Water Flea"

Junior Division

First place: Lydia Visger, Columbia County, "Responsible Boating to Protect our Lakes"
Second place: Miranda Kelch, Pepin County, "Blue-Green Algae"
Third Place: Ella Melby, Monroe County, "How our Cows Poop can Help our Soil, and our Food"

Senior Division

First place: Briella Brusveen, Columbia County, "Rooted in Wisdom: The Past Teaches the Future" 
Second place: Carter Stueve, St. Croix County, "The Effects of Wisconsin's Mining Industry"
Third place: Brenna Lockman, Portage County, "Oak Trees in Central Wisconsin"

68th Annual Poster & Speaking Contest Press Release

View the full release to learn more about the contests.

View Release