(April 13, 2023) Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful thanks the over 900 Pennsylvania youth who participated in the 2023 Litter Hawk Youth Award Program. The program provides a way for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 to express their concerns about litter through art, words or video. Each participant completed a project specific to their grade level. In response to Pennsylvania’s new anti-littering education campaign, PA Fights Dirty: Every Litter Bit Matters, the theme was: Show Us How Every Litter Bit Matters to You.

Judges were excited to see so many thoughtful submissions illustrating positive change towards reducing the amount of trash found in our parks, school grounds and along our roadways.

Two entries were awarded in each grade level. First place winners received a $50 gift card. First runners-up received a $25 gift card. For their stories, visit Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Facebook page.

First Place Winners:

• Elizabeth Kalista (poster), Kindergarten, Holy Trinity Catholic School, Blair County
• Nadia Weaver (poster), Grade 1, Reidenbaugh Elementary School, Lancaster County
• Reese Guarnero (poster), Grade 2, Nitrauer Elementary School, Lancaster County
• Josiah Haley (poster), Grade 3, homeschool, Clinton County
• Jordyn Sylvester (poster), Grade 4, Smithfield Elementary School, Monroe County
• Abigail Foltz (essay), Grade 5, South Lebanon Elementary School, Lebanon County
• Rishi Saravanan, Saathvik Nag Chakilam, Nihal Chamarthi and Dhyan Vignesh (video), Grade 6, Pickering Valley Elementary School, Chester County

Runners-Up Winners:

• Emerson Hassler (poster), Kindergarten, Bethel Elementary School, Berks County
• Lennox Reinhard (poster), Grade 1, Schuylkill Valley Elementary School, Berks County
• Reagan Wolf (poster), Grade 2, Penn Bernville Elementary School, Berks County
• Xzavier Zeiders (poster), Grade 3, Pine Grove Area Elementary School, Schuylkill County
• Epiphany Juarez (poster), Grade 4, Penn Bernville Elementary School, Berks County
• Izabella DiAmbrosio (video), Grade 5, Rock L. Butler Middle School, Tioga County
• Penelope Pell (essay), Grade 6, Rock L. Butler Middle School, Tioga County

Winning entries will be displayed in the East Wing Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg from May 4 through May 26.

Pennsylvania students could participate individually or as part of a lesson initiated by schools, environmental clubs, scouts or other organized groups. Thirty schools participated at the classroom level.

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful wants to thank all the students who participated in our Litter Hawk Youth Award program this year. It’s humbling to see and hear what Pennsylvania youth think about keeping our neighborhoods clean and beautiful. Engaging youth in protecting the environment creates a direct impact on changing behaviors and attitudes as kids have a knack for influencing their friends and families,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “Congratulations to this year’s Litter Hawks! We hope to see everyone back again next year.”

The Litter Hawk Youth Award program is offered annually and was created with funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

To view winning entries and for more information about the program, visit https://www.keeppabeautiful.org/grants-awards/awards/litter-hawk/.

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About Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 155 million pounds of trash from Pennsylvania’s roadways, waterways, greenways, vacant lots, forestlands and other community spaces. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s core programming focuses on litter and illegal dump prevention, cleanup, community greening, and proper waste handling and sustainable practices. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works with many partnering organizations on the state and grassroots level to accomplish our goal of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. To learn more about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org.

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