Litter Hawk Youth Award Program

Litter Hawk Youth Award Program
2026

An Awards Program for Pennsylvania Youth in Grades K through 6th, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Who wants to be a Litter Hawk?

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is counting on kids in grades K through 6 who care about having clean places to live and play to become LITTER HAWKS! They can help people see how litter and trash hurts our environment through art, words and video. Litter Hawks help people KEEP COMMUNITIES LITTER FREE and inspire them to dispose of their trash and recycling properly.

In support of the Country’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, this year’s Litter Hawk Youth Award theme is: Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful!

WHO: All Pennsylvania students in grades K - 6 are welcome to participate, including individuals, school classrooms, homeschoolers, scout groups, clubs and other organized groups!
WHAT: Submit a poster, essay or video that shows how you can keep your community litter free. First and second place entries in each grade will receive certificates. All participants will receive a Litter Hawk sticker. Categories are: Poster (K-4), Essay (5) and Video (6).
WHEN: October 31, 2025, through January 31, 2026. Winners will be announced in April 2026 in coordination with an awards ceremony at the PA State Capitol Building on April 2, 2026, where all winning entries will be on display as part of the 2026 Litter Hawk Youth Exhibit for the entire month of April. All winners and their families, guardians and teachers are welcome to attend. Special guests will include representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection and America250PA!
WHY: To inspire others to take action and keep Pennsylvania communities litter free!

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS JANUARY 31, 2026.

All entries must address the theme: Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful!

Create artwork, an essay or a video that highlights Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the Litter Hawk Program and ways to keep your community litter-free.
One entry per person.
Multiple students may work on and submit one video.
Entries will be judged on creativity and how well it represents the theme.
All entries become property of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and may be reproduced, distributed, displayed, or published in any media at any time. Original artwork cannot be returned.

APPLICATION

Grades K-4: Poster, either mail your poster along with this fillable PDF, or upload it on the online form
Grades 5: Essay online form
Grades 6: Video online form

GRADES K – 4: Poster – Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful!

Use 8.5 X 11-inch paper.
Artwork can be traditional or digital.
No three-dimensional designs.
Highlight Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the Litter Hawk and ways to keep your community litter-free for America’s 250th birthday!
IMPORTANT - Label artwork on the back with name, grade and school.
Submit your artwork:

Mail your artwork and a completed application to: Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful – Litter Hawk, 105 West 4th Street, 2nd floor, Greensburg, PA 15601
(This method is preferred for submissions with many entries, such as a classroom. An email will be sent to you upon receiving your submission. KPB is not responsible for lost submissions) OR
Fill out the online form and upload your project. There will be an option to type or upload an excel sheet with student names.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS JANUARY 31, 2026, AT 5:00 PM. MAILED SUBMISSIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY JANUARY 31, 2026.

GRADE 5: Essay – Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful!

Length: No more than 2 typed pages.
Highlight Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the Litter Hawk and ways to keep your community litter-free for America’s 250th birthday!
IMPORTANT - Include your name, grade, and school on your essay.
Upload your essay(s) with your online entry form. There will be an option to upload an excel sheet with student names.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS JANUARY 31, 2026, AT 5:00 PM.

GRADE 6: Video – Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful!

Length: 60 seconds or less.
Highlight Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the Litter Hawk and ways to keep your community litter-free for America’s 250th birthday!
MP4 or MOV formats preferred. If needed, a video can be converted to MP4, example: https://cloudconvert.com.
IMPORTANT - Include school and teacher/parent/guardian in video file name and student name(s) in credits.
Upload your video or provide a link to your online video with your online entry form. There will be an option to upload an excel sheet with student names.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS JANUARY 31, 2026, AT 5:00 PM.

Download a flyer to promote Litter Hawk!

Thank you for a wonderful Litter Hawk ceremony! Your team did a fantastic job and it was a day that we will always remember and cherish. We have a beautiful State, and your program is a huge driver to keeping it clean!

Walt Kalista, Parent

Litter Hawk 2025 Winners!

Join us in celebrating the 2025 Litter Hawk Youth Award Program winners. Over 500 projects were received! First and second place in each grade level were awarded certificates and were invited to attend an awards ceremony and reception at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, featuring speakers from PA Department of Environmental Protection, America250PA, and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. All participants received recognition of participation with a Litter Hawk sticker.

In support of the Greatest American Cleanup, Keep America Beautiful’s national three-year campaign to motivate, educate and celebrate communities to clean up and green up ahead of the Country’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, this year’s Litter Hawk Youth Award theme was: Join the Greatest American Cleanup! Show us how you can keep your community litter free for America’s 250th birthday.

Check out their amazing posters, essays and videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and read the Press Release!

And the winners are…