Area students’ work chosen for calendar

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recognized 16 Iowa students whose artwork was selected for inclusion in the 2024-2025 Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar at the Iowa State Fair.

Among the works chosen were those of Kira Koster, of Van Horne, and Harper Van Ersvelde, of Grinnell.

Choose Iowa is the state’s signature brand for Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made food and ag products. The annual Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar contest encourages Iowa students to create artwork that highlights the importance and productivity of Iowa agriculture.

Other student artists selected were Brantley Brown, of Truro; Blakely Carver, of Fontanelle; McCoy Collins, Raidly Griffith and Leighton Ferch, of State Center; Autumn Greenlees, of Adel; Sam Heiken, of Norway; Addison Joy, of Shenandoah; Sydney Kehret, of Charles City; and Owen Nyheim, of Marshalltown.

Also Paisley Ott, of Marble Rock; Ellie Perry-Vincent, of Council Bluffs; Addison Schrader, of Mapleton and Zella Wright, of Story City.

Students 18 years or younger are eligible to enter the annual contest. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received more than 200 submissions from all over the state this year.

Free Choose Iowa Coloring Calendars will be available for fairgoers at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s booths in the Agriculture Building and Varied Industries Building while supplies last.

Students who are 18 years or younger are invited to submit a drawing for the September 2025 — August 2026 Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar.

Pictures should be drawn in a horizontal orientation using only black lines on plain white, 8 ½ by 11-inch paper.

The pictures should not be colored in. Artwork may be submitted electronically to ChooseIowa@IowaAgriculture.gov or mailed to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Attention: Coloring Calendar, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines, IA 50319.

Each submission should include the artist’s name, age, school, hometown and contact information.