PIERRE— Ava McMahan, a fifth-grade student at Redfield School District, is the winner of the 2024 South Dakota Arbor Day Poster Contest. McMahan’s poster was chosen out of over 700 entries from fifth graders across the state.

McMahan’s first-place poster was selected for its interpretation of the contest theme “Trees in Television.” McMahan will receive a $125 cash prize and a certificate of achievement, and her poster will be featured on the poster contest promotional flyer.

McMahan’s teachers, Rachel Meyer and Cassandra Bottum, will receive $175 for the purchase of educational supplies.

Paulus Waldner of Hillcrest Colony School in Garden City was selected as the second-place winner. Waldner receives a $100 cash prize and a certificate of achievement. The third-place winner, Ruth Oumba Ngoma of Frontier Elementary in Tea, receives a $75 cash prize and a certificate of achievement.

The top 12 artists’ posters will also be featured in the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest Calendar.

The annual Arbor Day Poster Contest is designed to help promote the importance of Arbor Day and tree planting and is open to all South Dakota fifth graders.

For more information on Arbor Day, contact John Hartland with RCF at 605-362-2830 or John.Hartland@ state.sd.us. To view the winning posters, go here.