GRADES Pre-K to 5 | 2025-2026
Challenge 1C: Miami, My Garden – Gardens on the Go
(4th and 5th Grade)
YOUR CHALLENGE:
Picture your commute to school – whether you walk, are in a car, or ride a train, you probably pass by a lot of concrete. Gardens and greenery don’t normally come to mind when we think of roadways. This year, we want you to reimagine the bridges, highways, and sidewalks that criss-cross our city. What would your commute to school look like with more plants and trees? For this challenge, we ask you to draw a new vision of the transportation systems of your community that incorporates plants in innovative ways. Identify a specific place or roadway that you pass by on your way to school — it could be a bridge, a bus stop, a train station, intersection, or highway that does not currently have many plants growing on or around it. Draw this reimagined space as a garden and in 50-100 words tell us about your new green-ified commute! Explain how your green space helps the environment, and don’t forget to give your drawing a title!
| ✓ Submission Requirements: | |
Drawing of a transportation space with a creative title. Original 2D hand-drawn artwork by students using colored pencil, crayon, pens, markers, and/or paint only; no computer-generated design. Drawings must be no larger than 8.5” by 11”. | |
| Description of artwork that is 50-100 words long. Written description should be on a separate sheet of paper. | |
| BOTH the drawing and written description must include the student’s first name, last initial, grade, teacher’s name, and school name ON THE BACK OF THE PAPER(S). | |
| Physically submit all drawings and written descriptions delivered in person or mailed to Fairchild Challenge via certified mail to 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida 33156, ATTN: Education Department. Hand deliver drawings ANY day of the week 10a-5p at the Visitor Center. | |
| Digital Entry Form (for school and student information only). Electronic uploads of drawing and written descriptions will not be reviewed. | |
| Two submissions per school. | |
CHALLENGE RESOURCES:
Important Dates
Submissions Due:
Friday, October, 17, 2025 by 5:00pm
| Point Breakdown | |
| Participants per submission | Individual |
| Maximum number of points per submission | 75 |
| Number of submissions per grade level per school | 2 |
Evaluation Criteria
Rubric for ES Challenge 1C
Fairchild City in a Garden Standards
Aesthetic and Iconic Design
Public Accessibility and Engagement
Cultural Enrichment
Ecological Integration