image of barnstable county courthouse

April is National County Government Month

National County Government Month (NCGM) is an annual celebration of county government held each April. This year’s theme is “Counties THRIVE.”

Barnstable County is celebrating this month with the launch of a new website! Stay tuned for an announcement of our launch in the coming days!

Here are a just a few things you can look forward to:

  • Fresh mobile-friendly design
  • Helpful, organized information on County Government and Services
  • Easy-to-find public meeting agendas, documents and meeting minutes

Students are Invited to Submit Artwork to the ā€œI Love My County Becauseā€ Art Contest

In an effort to bolster civic education and educate communities on the role of county government, the National Association of Counties (NACo) is launching the 2022 ā€œI Love My County Becauseā€ art contest in conjunction with National County Government Month.Ā  NACo and county leaders are spreading the word about county roles and responsibilities, which are often unknown or misunderstood. By inviting children and young adults ages 18 and under to create artwork for the 2023 ā€œCounties Matterā€ calendar, NACo hopes to raise awareness about programs and services that impact peopleā€™s lives every day.

Students who are 18 years of age and younger in grades 1 through 12 during the 2021ā€“2022 academic year are invited to participate in an in the ā€œI Love My County Becauseā€ art contest.

Winning artwork will be featured in a NACo calendar, which will be distributed to NACo members nationwide. Winners will also be announced in NACoā€™s flagship publication, County News, and their artwork will be displayed at NACoā€™s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Only students living in the United States, who are 18 years of age and younger in grades 1 through 12 during the 2021ā€“2022 academic year are eligible.
  • Each submission must be original artwork created in the current school year by one student.

ARTWORK GUIDELINES

  • Submitted artwork must present a county activity that shows how ā€œCounties Matterā€ and inspired by the sentence ā€œI love my county becauseā€¦ā€
  • The artwork must reflect some aspect of a county government function, service, or program, to celebrate National County Government Month.
  • The artwork must be horizontal 11″ x 8.5″ (PDF or JPEG). The most important elements of the artwork must not extend beyond 10.5″ 8″ to account for trimming during the calendar production process.

JUDGING CRITERIA

  • Technical skill:Ā The artwork must display artistic skill in painting, drawing or digital art.
  • Creativity:Ā The artwork must be original in its expression of a personal vision or voice. It must be the student’s own work and cannot be plagiarized or in violation of any copyright.
  • Artistā€™s statement:Ā Along with the artwork, each student is required to submit a statement that explains how ā€œCounties Matterā€ in their community or complete the sentence ā€œI love my county becauseā€¦ā€
  • Each entry must include the artistā€™s name, grade, school, county, and contact information (for the student, a parent or guardianā€™s email address and phone number) and a teacher (email address and phone numbers).

DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • The competition submission period closes May 1, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
  • Students must submit their artwork for considerationĀ at this linkĀ or by clicking the button below.
  • The artwork must be submitted as a PDF or JPEG. (Winners will be notified and asked to mail their original artwork to NACo.)
  • The artistā€™s statement including name, age, grade level, school, teacher or art teacher and contact information for a guardian or teacher must be submitted as a .doc or .docx file.
  • For digital art or graphic design submissions, the design must be 300 dpi and RGB color.
  • Only one submission per student is allowed.
  • There is no entry fee.
  • Please mail original artwork to:
    NACo
    660 N. Capitol St. NW, Suite 400
    Washington, DC 20001
    Attention: Leon Lawrence III, Design Director