Stonington, CT — New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) announced this year’s winning artists for the statewide calendar drawing contest entitled “Long Island Sound and Its Watershed: What It Means to Me.” The annual drawing contest is open to all Connecticut students currently in Grades K-6. Ryan Johnson, a 3^rd Grader from Cromwell was named the overall winner. The student’s artwork will be featured on the cover of the 2023 calendar.

“We are so pleased and so proud with the quality of submissions that come in each year. It really shows students’ understanding of the Sound and how important it is for us to protect it” NESS’s Founder, Spike Lobdell, commented. “Long Island Sound is a precious resource, and this calendar contest is just one way we can work together to support and share the importance of its conservation.”

A panel of judges chose two winners and two honorable mentions from each grade as this year’s award recipients. The students will be honored in a virtual ceremony this summer. The artwork will also be part of a calendar in 2023

Click here for the list of winning students.

NESS, a nationally-recognized and award-winning nonprofit ocean adventure education organization, provides students of all ages with year-round ocean adventure programming that includes marine science, sailing, and water sports. NESS scholastic programs support teachers’ STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) curricula with a unique combination of on-the-water and in-the-classroom lessons intended to build confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills. In 2018, NESS became the first school partner program to be accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The annual “Long Island Sound & Its Watershed” calendar drawing contest is funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation and was previously overseen by the Long Island Sound Foundation. For more information about the drawing contest, please visit nessf.org/long-island-sound-calendar-contest.

About NESS

New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) is a nationally recognized and award-winning ocean adventure education non-profit with a mission to empower students with a love of learning through ocean-based experiential programs that serve schools, teachers, and families. NESS offers a unique education model that empowers students with leadership, teamwork, confidence, and problem-solving skills to ensure academic success through marine science, sailing, powerboating, and adventure sports programs. NESS is the first, and only, program of its kind to be accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). For more information, visit www.nessf.org.