Connecticut teachers and students submitted projects to the statewide contest promoting sustainability, energy efficiency, and clean and renewable energy.

Poster by Elizabeth Johnson of West Hartford, a fourth-grader at Bugbee Elementary School, who was honored as a winner of the 20th annual eesmarts student contest. Courtesy photo

Submitted

West Hartford student Elizabeth Johnson was recently honored as a winner in the 20th Annual eesmarts Student Contest.

Presented by Energize Connecticut in partnership with Eversource and Avangrid subsidiaries, United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, the eesmarts Student Contest invited Connecticut students in grades K-12 to showcase their energy smarts. Participants chose from a variety of project formats based on their grade level, including poems, essays, posters, billboard advertisements, comic strips, short videos, persuasive images, and more.

Additionally, to celebrate the 20-year milestone, a teacher prompt was introduced for the first time, inviting educators to gather their students and friends and create a song or video about saving energy in their own classrooms.

Elizabeth Johnson of West Hartford, a fourth-grader at Bugbee Elementary School, was honored as a winner of the 20th annual eesmarts student contest. Courtesy photo

Elizabeth, a fourth-grader at Bugbee Elementary School, won first place for her energy-saving billboard advertisement design.

Elizabeth’s mixed-media design featured a home with aluminum foil on its roof to depict solar panels. With the tagline “Save the Polar Install Solar,” she sought to encourage her community to install solar panels to help save the polar ice caps and maintain current sea levels.

More than 500 students throughout Connecticut submitted projects for consideration. Thirty-five entries from 26 schools in 25 Connecticut communities were selected as this year’s finalists.

Finalists attended an awards ceremony on May 13, 2025, at the Connecticut Science Center and received their prizes and certificates.

For more information on the student contest and the eesmarts program, please visit www.EnergizeCT.com/eesmarts.

Elizabeth Johnson of West Hartford, a fourth-grader at Bugbee Elementary School, was honored as a winner of the 20th annual eesmarts student contest. Courtesy photo

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