Sauk County NACD Poster Competition

2025 Sauk County NACD Conservation Awareness Poster Contest Results

A record 192 Sauk County students in grades K-12 created posters for the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Conservation Awareness Poster competition. The Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department sponsored the program locally, encouraging students to submit unique artwork encompassing the theme, “Home is Where the Habitat is.”

The first-place poster from each grade division moves on to regional, state, and national competitions. Students receive prizes and awards at each level where their posters compete and win. Sauk County awarded a special prize for the classroom with the most student participation at the local level. Winners received Amazon gift cards, stickers, colored pencils, and custard coupons this year. The first-place winners were also awarded a Sauk County Parks pass and DIY pollinator house.

The following are the winners for each grade division and their school districts:

Grades K-1 Division:

1^st Place: Lynnette Herrild, Baraboo

2^nd Place: Anastasia Harjung, Baraboo

3^rd Place:  Xavier Schlage, Baraboo

4^th Place: Lilly Bartnick, Baraboo

Lynnette’s poster also placed first at the Southern Area Regional Competition and will move on to the state competition in March.

Grades 2-3 Division:

1^st Place: Maisie Posthuma, Sauk

2^nd Place: Josie Wendt, Private

3^rd Place: Willa Brunner, Online

4^th Place: Brigum Riha, Sauk

Grades 4-6 Division:

1^st Place: Harper Wilkinson, Weston

2^nd Place: Kallie Sadler, Reedsburg

3^rd Place: Amelia Seidl, Weston

4^th Place: Kamden Pyfferoen, Weston

Harper’s poster also placed second at the Southern Area Regional Competition.

Grades 7-9 Division:

1^st Place: Penny Schmidt, Baraboo

2^nd Place: Carlee Burchfield, River Valley

3^rd Place: Aliah Hatfield, River Valley

4^th Place: Tyson Luther, River Valley

Grades 10-12 Division:

1^st Place: Vivian Spencer, Weston

2^nd Place: Carlin Ilkka, River Valley

3^rd Place: Makenzie Weaver, River Valley

4^th Place: Wendy Wittman, River Valley

Vivian's poster placed first at the Southern Area Regional Competition.

Posters of Lynnette Herrild and Vivian Spencer will compete at the Wisconsin State competition on March 5^th – 7^th at the annual WI Land + Water Conference, where conservation professionals from around the state vote on the top posters for each grade division. The winning poster for each grade level will move on to the national competition. National Contest entries are submitted by WI Land+Water by December 1, 2025.

Congratulations to all the students for their hard work and creativity! The judges were very impressed with the creativity and level of thought students put into their posters.

2025 Poster Contest Guidelines:

Details

• Open to grades K-12; public, private or home school students
• Each poster must go through the following contest process: Local/County, Area, State, Nationals.

Contest Rules

• Poster size must be 12” x 18” or 14" x 22”.
• The 2025 National Contest Theme, “Home is where the Habitat is” must be written on each
  poster.
• All posters shall be created by an individual student, rather than a team of students.
• Any media may be used: paint, crayon, colored pencil, charcoal, stickers, paper or other
  materials on regular posters. (Computer-generated posters will not be accepted)
• To be eligible for judging, each entry must have a completed and signed entry form attached to back (form located at the end of this page).

Poster Evaluations:

• Conservation Message: 50%
• Visual Effectiveness: 30%
• Originality: 10%
• Universal Appeal: 10%

Posters are due to the Sauk County Land Resources & Environment Department by 4:30pm Friday, January 3rd, 2025. 

For the 2025 state competition results and more poster contest information, visit the WI Land & Water website: https://wisconsinlandwater.org/our-work/youth-education.

Information for the 2026 NACD Conservation Poster Contest will be updated this fall. If you would like to participate or have any questions about this program, contact us at 608-355-4842 or jacqui.peyer@saukcountywi.gov