Past Winners
2024 Winners
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Sadey Bruce from Bishop Lloyd Middle School (Lloydminster) for her proposal called, “Guardians of the Water.”
| Place | Proposal Idea | Student Name(s) | School |
| 1st | Guardians of the Water | Sadey | Bishop Lloyd Middle School (Lloydminster) |
| 2nd | Watershed-Themed Children’s Book | Alanna, Psalm | Trinity Christian School |
| 3rd | Minimizing pollution With Rain Gardens | Abby | Cardston Junior High |
| 4th | Waste to wash | Esther | Bonnyville Centralized High School |
| 5th | North Saskatchewan Erosion Prevention – NSEP | James, Humza, Elliot | Laurier Heights School |
| 6th | Revamp Road De-icing Methods | Molabo, Ella, Leah | Trinity Christian School |
| 7th | White Clover Lawns: Caring for our watershed | Noah, Benjamin, Josiah | Trinity Christian School |
| 8th | Bio Posters | Felyx, Henry, Shane | Laurier Heights School |
| 9th | Pollinator Garden | Julianna | Covenant Christian School |
| 10th | Caring for Our Watershed Proposal: Education By Rain Barrels | Alise, Maria, Makenna, Sofia | Trinity Christian School |
2023 Winners
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Cassy S and Emmett S from Bishop Lloyd Middle School (Lloydminster) for their proposal called, “Brush Off, Invaders.”
| Place | Proposal Idea | Student Name(s) | School |
| 1st | Brush Off, Invaders | Cassy and Emmett | Bishop Lloyd Middle School (Lloydminster) |
| 2nd | Our Eco-Week | Moses | Centennial High School (Calgary) |
| 3rd | Willow Staking | Jade | Centennial High School (Calgary) |
| 4th | Trees & Beads | Taylor and Kyptin | Dr Roy Wilson Learning Centre (Medicine Hat) |
| 5th | Environmentally Friendly Cosmetics | Sarah, Zoe, Nora, Alexa | Elboya School (Calgary) |
| 6th | Sustainable Irrigation | Aria | Magrath Junior Senior High School (Magrath) |
| 7th | The Weird, Abstract and Educated | Stella and Paige | Dr Roy Wilson Learning Centre (Medicine Hat) |
| 8th | Bat Boxes | Mary-Ann | Willow Creek Composite High (Claresholm) |
| 9th | Saving our bees and environment | Callie and Kalia | Cardston Junior High (Cardston) |
| 10th | Cover crops for gardens- lets stop erosion! | Bree and Jayla | Crescent Heights High School (Medicine Hat) |
2021 Winners
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Harish Guggilapu, Hailey Ash, Harika Guggilapu, and Jazmine Toews from Lacombe Composite High School for their proposal entitled, “The EPICC Garden.”
| Place | School | Student Name(s) | Proposal Idea |
| 1 | Lacombe Composite
High School |
Harish and Hailey
Harika, Jazmine |
The EPICC Garden |
| 2 | Ross Sheppard High School, Edmonton | Quaila-Lee | Become Cleaner Inhabitants with Thyme Disinfectants |
| 3 | M.E. LaZerte High School, Edmonton | Sarah | A Cure To The Plastic Pandemic |
| 4 | Fort McMurray Christian School | Esther, Lydia
Onyinyechi |
Switch to LEDs |
| 5 | Lillian Osborne High School, Edmonton | Tracy | A Garden for the Community, by the Community |
| 6 | New Myrnam School, Myrnam | Samantha, Jaeanna
Kalla |
Backyard Poultry Project |
| 7 | Bishop Lloyd Middle School, Lloydminster | Maheen | 1.Save 2.Compost 3.Plant 4.Donate 5.Care |
| 8 | Fort McMurray Christian School | Heidi, Abigail, Selah | Composting and the Benefits to the Environment |
| 9 | Fort McMurray Christian School | Tino, Edrey
Fernando |
The Importance of Removing Dog feces |
| 10 | Ecole McTavish High School, Fort McMurray | Brooklyn, Bianca | Colouring and Activity Book |
2020 Winners
| Students | Project Title | School, Town |
| Julia | Watershed Kids Camp | Bashaw School, Bashaw |
| Ailene, Hailey | LED Lights Campaign | École McTavish, Fort McMurray |
| Shanzey, Priyanka | Watershed Hero Colouring Comic Book | École McTavish, Fort McMurray |
| Autumn | Introducing Composting | Glendale Sciences & Technology School, Red Deer |
| Dana, Soren | Spring Cleanup | Hay Lakes School, Hay Lakes |
| Michael | Project Vermicompost | Holy Rosary High School, Lloydminster |
| Chelsea, Sneha Rose, JJ, Gage | Say No to Weed. (Goats for the school) |
Lacombe Composite High School, Lacombe |
| Anny, Chrisle | Rub-a-dub-dub (Soap Sales and Phosphorus Education) | Laurier Heights School, Edmonton |
| Joffre, Gabriel | Rain Barrel | Laurier Heights School, Edmonton |
2019 Winners
| Place | Student Names | Idea | School | Prize Amount |
| 1 | Neel, Muhammad, Sparsh, Darsh | Clearwater Cleanup | Westwood Community Highschool, Fort McMurray | $1000 |
| 2 | Soren, Dana | The Write Way to Recycle | Hay Lakes School, Hay Lakes | $900 |
| 3 | Harman | Creating a Resilient Watershed | A Blair McPherson School, Edmonton | $800 |
| 4 | Tessa | Erosion Terminators | Bashaw School, Bashaw | $700 |
| 5 | Stefanie, Jacey, Piper | Annual Watershed Day | Delia School, Delia | $600 |
| 6 | Lauren, Cate | Vermiculture Bins in Our Schools | Laurier Heights School, Edmonton | $500 |
| 7 | Aleesa | Buffalo Bins and Boat Rinses | Bashaw School, Bashaw | $450 |
| 8 | Priscilla, Isabella, Cheyeanne | Brochures for Change | Saint Augustine Catholic School, Ponoka | $400 |
| 9 | Linda, Nobiel | Microclimate Spiral Herb Garden | Ecole Secondaire Lacombe High School, Lacombe | $350 |
| 10 | Sarah | Pollution and Our Watersheds | Laurier Heights School, Edmonton | $300 |
2018 Winners
| Place | Student Names | Idea | School | Prize Amount |
| 1 | Sparsh, Neel, Nirmit | Eco Amigos Composting Initiative | École McTavish Junior High Public School | $1000 |
| 2 | Lokesh, Chintan | EcoYOLO Phase Two | École McTavish Junior High Public School | $900 |
| 3 | Anders, Tyler | Staying Hydrated and Green | Charlie Killam School | $800 |
| 4 | Tessa | Rockeling Bay Pump Project | Bashaw School | $700 |
| 5 | Harman | Don’t Let the Butterfly, Flutterby | A. Blair McPherson School | $600 |
| 6 | Sarah | Saving Our Watershed, One Shower at a Time | Londonderry Junior High School | $500 |
| 7 | McKayla, Keana | Recycling Program | Rosary School | $450 |
| 8 | Sean, Kinley | The Great Educational Night | Altario Public School | $400 |
| 9 | Raina | Bees… If they die, they’re taking us with them. | Bashaw School | $350 |
| 10 | Huda, Joanna | The Yellow Fish Road | Laurier Heights School | $300 |
2017 Winners
Thank you to all of the teachers, students and volunteers involved in the 2017 Caring for our Watersheds Contest! You are truly making a difference in your local communities.
| Place | Student Names | Idea | School Division | School, Location | Prize Amount |
| 1 | Simran | Accommodating Biodiversity in our Watershed | Edmonton Public Schools | W.P. Wagner, Edmonton | $1000 |
| 2 | Rachel, Avy | Lacombe Irrigation Foods Experiment | Wolf Creek Public Schools | Ecole Lacombe Composite High School | $900 |
| 3 | Bria, Brooke, Alarie | Saving Drinking Water, One Cup at a Time | Battle River School Division | Dayslands School, Daysland | $800 |
| 4 | Emily | Down Cycle [Plastic Water Bottles] |
Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools | Wetaskiwin Composite High School | $700 |
| 5 | Kisa, Raiha | Learning Grounds/Pollinator Garden | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray | $600 |
| 6 | Michelle, Erika, Azure |
Rain Gardens | Edmonton Public Schools | Londonderry Junior High School, Edmonton | $500 |
| 7 | Suerry, Rachel | Willows for Watersheds | Edmonton Public Schools | Londonderry Junior High School, Edmonton | $450 |
| 8 | Sharar | Birchwood Trails Dog Waste Dispensers | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray |
$400 |
| 9 | Dana, Soren | Save the Trumpeter Swan | Battle River School Division | Hay Lakes School, Hay Lakes |
$350 |
| 10 | Bailie | How ‘bout them Wetlands | Battle River School Division | Bashaw School, Bashaw | $300 |
2016 Winners
Thank you to all of the teachers and students involved in the 2016 CFW Contest! This year we received 95 proposals submitted by 165 students. 13 schools from across the Central Alberta contest area were involved, from Beiseker and Byemoor, to Fort McMurray and Smokey Lake, to Edmonton and Wetaskiwin. Every student and teacher who has participated will be receiving a prize as a thank you from us for sharing your ideas on improving your watershed.
Top 10 Finalists
| Place | Student Names | Idea | School Division | School, Location | Prize Amount |
| 1 | Simran | Accommodating Biodiversity in our Watershed | Edmonton Public Schools | W.P. Wagner, Edmonton | $1000 |
| 2 | Rachel, Avy | Lacombe Irrigation Foods Experiment | Wolf Creek Public Schools | Ecole Lacombe Composite High School | $900 |
| 3 | Bria, Brooke, Alarie | Saving Drinking Water, One Cup at a Time | Battle River School Division | Dayslands School, Daysland | $800 |
| 4 | Emily | Down Cycle [Plastic Water Bottles] |
Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools | Wetaskiwin Composite High School | $700 |
| 5 | Kisa, Raiha | Learning Grounds/Pollinator Garden | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray | $600 |
| 6 | Michelle, Erika, Azure |
Rain Gardens | Edmonton Public Schools | Londonderry Junior High School, Edmonton | $500 |
| 7 | Suerry, Rachel | Willows for Watersheds | Edmonton Public Schools | Londonderry Junior High School, Edmonton | $450 |
| 8 | Sharar | Birchwood Trails Dog Waste Dispensers | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray |
$400 |
| 9 | Dana, Soren | Save the Trumpeter Swan | Battle River School Division | Hay Lakes School, Hay Lakes |
$350 |
| 10 | Bailie | How ‘bout them Wetlands | Battle River School Division | Bashaw School, Bashaw | $300 |
Our Gems
These proposals did not quite make the finals but they were gems!
| School | Title | Students |
| Byemoor School | Environment Friends | Sydney, Rachel |
| École McTavish Junior High Public School | Saving Our Watershed One Barrel at a Time | Mira, MacKenzie |
| École Secondaire Lacombe Composite High School | Bee Wise | Alyssa |
| G.H.Primeau | Protecting our watersheds one insect at a time | Emma |
| H.A. Kostash (Smokey Lake) |
Tree Planting for Watershed Protection | Bryn |
| Londonderry Jr. High | Neighborhood Rain Garden | Erika, Azure, Michelle |
| Notre Dame High School (Bonnyville) | Increasing Awareness through an Online Community | Jayden, Jason |
Implementation
We look forward to working with all of the students, teachers and schools involved in Caring for our Watersheds to help implement their projects. $10,000 of implementation money is available for students! All student groups are eligible for implementation funding, not just those who are finalists or gems. Please contact us for help implementing your projects.
Thank you again to every teacher and student who put in so much hard work! It gives us great pleasure to read all of the terrific ideas on what YOU would do to help improve your watershed.
2015 Winners
Thank you to all of the students, teachers and volunteers who participated. A record 150 entries were received. In a verbal competition in May 23rd, 2015 at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum the top entries presented their project ideas.
The $1,000 first place was awarded to Leah Marshall from Bawlf School for her proposal called, “Pollinators for the Watershed.” Great work everyone!
| Place | Student Names | Idea | School Division | School, Location | Prize Amount |
| 1 | Leah | Pollinators for the Watershed | Battle River | Bawlf School, Bawlf | $1000 |
| 2 | Simran | Interschool Clean-up Committee | Edmonton Public Schools | A. Blair McPherson, Edmonton | $900 |
| 3 | Brooklyn, Mina | Get the Tweet on This | Star Catholic | St. Augustine School, Ponoka | $800 |
| 4 | Emily | Soil Farming, Sustainable Development | Edmonton Public Schools | Vernon Bardford Junior High | $700 |
| 5 | Jaycee | Carwashes Cleaning the Environment | Battle River | Bashaw School, Bashaw | $600 |
| 6 | Aneri, Albina, Amy | The Eco-Friendly Car Wash | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray | $500 |
| 7 | Urvi, Lauren | Making a Paper Free School | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray | $450 |
| 8 | Sydney | Erosion Control with Balsams | Battle River | Bashaw School, Bashaw | $400 |
| 9 | Jenny, Jessica, Tracy | Using Compost | Edmonton Public Schools | Londonderry Junior High School, Edmonton | $350 |
| 10 | Vrunda, Ishani, Bhavi | Installation of Silt Screens on Outflows | Fort McMurray Public Schools | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray | $300 |
2014 Winners
Thank you to all of the students, teachers and volunteers who participated. Over 105 entries were received. In a verbal competition in May 3rd, 2014 at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum the top entries presented their project ideas.
First place was awarded to Tizita Hill, Sofia Capenttini, Michaela Reitsma and Ava Funkhouser from Ecole Secondaire Lacombe Composite for their proposal called, “Aquaponics Food Systems.” Great work everyone!
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Sofia, Ava, Tizita, Michaela | Aquaponics Food System | Ecole Secondaire Composite, Lacombe |
| 2 | $900 | Isaac | Hummingbird Garden | Forestburg |
| 3 | $800 | Tyler | Landscaping with Xeriscaping | Bashaw School, Bashaw |
| 4 | $700 | Simran | Toonies for Trees Campaign |
|
| 5 | $600 | Jenelle, Christina | Compost Fertilizer | Londonderry Junior High, Edmonton |
| 6 | $500 | Mark, Andrea | Sustainable Development | Kateri School, Trout Lake |
| 7 | $450 | Jared, Mckaila, Desiree | Cattail Buffering Study | Notre Dame High School, Bonnyville |
| 8 | $400 | Brogan | Watershed Education Program | Bashaw School, Bashaw |
| 9 | $350 | Ashley, Judzeah | Electronic Recycling | John D. Bracco, Edmonton |
| 10 | $300 | Madyson | Water Recycling | Charlie Killam, Camrose |
| 10 | $300 | Maham | Acid Rain Awareness | Ecole McTavish, Fort McMurray |