Congratulations to our 2017 Carton 2 Garden Winners!
Fourteen organizations have been selected from close to 170 entries to receive award packages to help start new or expand existing youth garden programs. Click here to learn about the winners!
2017 CARTON 2 GARDEN CONTEST INFORMATION
Evergreen Packaging and KidsGardening.org are proud to present our third annual national Carton 2 Garden Contest! Open to public and private schools, contest winners will be selected based on their implementation of an innovative garden creation featuring creative and sustainable uses for repurposed milk and juice cartons.
Your school can get started by collecting at least 100 empty cartons from your home, community, or cafeteria. After gathering cartons, it’s time to design and construct purposeful garden items and structures using them. Looking for ideas? Check out last year’s winners for inspiration and visit us on Facebook, and Twitter for tips, activities, and lessons.
Click here to for more contest details.
DOWNLOAD THE ENTRY KIT
Want to learn more? Some of the components of the spring 2017 entry kit are available below in a downloadable format:
- Poster to promote the contest to students (11×17 | 8.5×11)
- Poster to promote proper care of milk cartons (11×17 | 8.5×11)
Educational Resources
ELIGIBLITY
Carton 2 Garden is open to all K-12 public and private schools in the United States. Your school does not need a garden to participate.
Please note: All entries must document and share their gardening experience through an online entry form and submission of up to 10 photos. In order to be eligible for the grand prize and specialty prizes, entries must also include a video link that tells the story of the project in its entirety. Please note that each student that appears in the photos or video must have an accompanying signed parental release form submitted with your entry.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Before you begin your project, check out our Judging Criteria so that you know what the judges will be looking for in your creation. Keep in mind that no purchase is necessary. Purchase of a product does not improve your chances of receiving an award.
AWARD PACKAGES
Fourteen (14) entries will be selected to receive award packages for their efforts.
- One (1) grand prize winner will be selected to receive a prize valued at $5,000.
- Three (3) winners will be selected for exemplary demonstration in the following specialty areas: STEM, Sustainability, and Health & Wellness. These three (3) winners will receive a prize valued at $2,500 each.
- Ten (10) winners, five (5) from middle/high school and five (5) from elementary school, will receive award packages valued at $1,000 each.
To learn more, check out Carton 2 Garden’s Prizes and Judging Criteria.
All materials are due by April 12, 2017. Contest winners will be announced on May 12, 2017.
AWARD FULFILLMENT
Winners will be posted on Carton2Garden.com and KidsGardening.org on May 12, 2017. Winning schools will be notified within 7 days following the official announcement via email.
IMPACT REPORT
All winners are asked to keep us apprised of the progress in their garden. Award winners will receive instructions following the announcement.
- Photos of Prize Presentation
Winners are asked to provide up to five photos of the students receiving their prize (opening the prize box, presentation to the team, etc.)
- Progress of the Garden
A minimum of 10 digital photos will be requested from all winners, regional and national winners showing the progress of the garden after the competition.
Note: Parental photo permission forms will be required for all youth pictured allowing KidsGardening.org and Evergreen Packaging to use the photos at their discretion.
GRANT APPLICATION TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Click here for more information
The Carton 2 Garden program is part of Evergreen Packaging’s ongoing effort to raise awareness among consumers on the eco-friendly benefits of paper cartons. Cartons are an eco-friendly packaging choice because more than 70% of milk carton packaging is paper, made from trees, a renewable resource. Currently, over 50% of households in the United States have access to recycling programs that accept paper milk cartons.