2026 Water Art Invitational
One Water
One Water
No matter who we are, where we live, or what we do, the same water connects us all. Rivers, oceans, rain, drinking water and wastewater are all one piece of our One Water world.
Prince William Water invites high school students enrolled in Prince William County public, private and home schools to participate in the 2026 Water Art Invitational. This event challenges students to visually depict this year’s theme of “One Water"
Submission Categories:
- Painting/Drawing;
- Photography; and
- Computer Graphics
Key Dates:
- October 6-December 27, 2025: Virtual and recorded Zoom informational presentations available.
- Friday, January 30, 2026, by 4 p.m.: Pieces and registration forms must be delivered to Prince William Water, 4 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192.
- March 18 (location to be determined): Awards Ceremony
Students who submit artwork for the competition should focus on the theme when creating their entries. Judges will consider both demonstrated artistic ability and a clear interpretation of the theme when scoring the submissions.
Registration Information
To register for the 2026 Water Art Invitational, download the registration form and turn it in with your entry. A form is required for each piece you submit.
Recorded presentations for interested teachers for their art classes are available upon request. These recorded presentations run for approximately 15 minutes, and provide an explanation of the rules, submission instructions as well as examples of previous winning submissions.
Teachers: Please use the link below to get your recorded information presentation or email outreach@pwwater.org for additional information.
Congratulations to our 2025 participants!
On Wednesday, March 5, we hosted our annual Water Art Invitational at Unity Reed High School in Manassas. With approximately 300 people in attendance, this was one of our largest events yet. Attendees celebrated the talented student artists from Prince William County high schools who submitted artwork with the theme, "Your Water. Your Environment."
Students amazed the attendees with 190 creative photographs, paintings, drawings and computer graphic pieces. The theme was a reflection of Prince William Water's new tagline, "Your Water. Your Environment. Our Mission."
This year's Award Ceremony included a heartfelt renaming of the Grand Prize to recognize longtime Prince William Water Board of Directors member Joyce Eagles. Ms. Eagles had served on the Board of Directors from 1990 until her passing in 2024. She was the first woman Board of Directors member at Prince William Water and a prominent member of the Prince William County community, helping to establish the Prince William Library Foundation and the Greater Manassas branch of the American Association of University Women. One of her many contributions was helping to found the Water Art Invitational over 20 years ago.
This year's Joyce P. Eagles Grand Prize went to Ella Sofia Lemen from Colgan High School. Ella's piece features a girl working in a garden, watering and picking flowers. From Ella's artist statement, the piece "piece speaks to the balance between giving and receiving, the water nourishes the flowers just as a healthy environment nourishes us."
Congratulations to Ella and all the winners of the 2025 Water Art Invitational!
To see all of the winning artwork, view our catalog of 2025 Water Art Invitational winning artwork.
