Young artists win Illinois American Water's annual art contest

Young artists across Illinois participated in Illinois American Water's annual art contest to illustrate the importance of reliable water service. Entries from third- to fifth-grade students captured what water service means to them. Of the many entries received, Illinois American Water chose 15 winners who earned their classrooms a $100 donation.

The winning artwork can be viewed at tinyurl.com/y4o86fya on Illinois American Water's Facebook page.

Illinois American Water offers the contest in conjunction with the Value of Water Coalition's annual "Imagine a Day Without Water" event to raise awareness about the value of water service.

"Our local educators are our heroes every day, and especially during the pandemic. We thank them for helping us educate our young customers about the value of water service, not only for public health but also for fire protection, food preparation and more," said Illinois American Water President Justin Ladner. He added, "The art contest provides a unique opportunity to merge art with the science of water service. Our team was impressed with the number and quality of entries received from across the state."

The art contest winners are listed below in no particular order:

• Kaydee Bliss, fifth-grader at Woodland School in Streator;

• Illiana Luke, fifth-grader at Northlawn Junior High School in Streator;

• Evelynn Ahlvers, fourth-grader at Holy Family School in Granite City;

• Anna Taylor, fifth-grader at Holy Family School in Granite City;

• Kassidy Henson, third-grader at St. James Catholic School in Millstadt;

• Ada Ude, fourth-grader at St. Michael Parish School in Wheaton;

• Anna Liggett, fourth-grader at St. Michael Parish School in Wheaton;

• Payton Adleman, third-grader at Riverview Elementary School in South Beloit;

• Bevin Brummel, fifth-grader at St. Mary's School in Pontiac;

• Max Macklin, fourth-grader at Washington School in Sterling;

• Kate VonHolten, fourth-grader at St. Mary's Catholic Grade School in Sterling;

• Gianna Catton, fourth-grader at St. Jude Catholic School in Peoria;

• Piper Cole, third-grader at Starke Primary School in Pekin;

Ryder Conrady, fourth-grader at West Lincoln-Broadwell Elementary School in Lincoln;

Kazlyn Mesner, third-grader at Central School in Lincoln.

The winning artwork may be featured in future Illinois American Water customer communications.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.