Salem-area K-12 students can mail original artwork to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management headquarters on Fairview Industrial Drive SE as part of a free statewide contest on disaster preparedness.
The Ready Oregon Youth Art Contest asks students to create a piece answering one question: "What does community preparedness mean to you?" All entries must arrive by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25.
OEM suggests scenes of neighbors helping neighbors, families building emergency kits, communities practicing evacuation plans or people looking out for one another during a disaster.
The agency's Be 2 Weeks Ready program, which encourages households to stockpile enough supplies to survive two weeks after a disaster, is listed as an inspiration resource.
Entries will be judged in four grade-level categories: kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth, sixth through eighth and ninth through 12th.
Each category will recognize a first-place, runner-up and honorable-mention winner. Winners will be notified by Friday, Oct. 2.
Artwork must be original, two-dimensional work such as painting, drawing or mixed media, sized between 8-by-10 inches and 11-by-14 inches, on a flat surface like canvas, cardstock or poster board. AI-generated images and copyrighted characters are not allowed.
Each student may submit one entry. Submissions must include the artist's name, grade level, a parent or guardian's contact information and a short description of the piece.
Salem families can mail entries to OEM at 3930 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem, OR 97302. The closest approved in-person drop-off in the Willamette Valley is the City of Eugene's Atrium building at 99 W. 10th Ave., where the reception desk accepts artwork between noon and 4 p.m. Other drop-off sites include locations in Grand Ronde, Willamina, Newport, Pendleton, Vale and Fossil.
The contest arrives as Gov. Tina Kotek proclaimed August 2026 National Emergency Management Awareness Month in Oregon. OEM Director Erin McMahon said in an Aug. 17 statement marking the proclamation that emergency management "brings together state, local, tribal, and private partners to safeguard our communities long before disaster strikes."
Upcoming dates
- Friday, Sept. 25: Art contest entries due by 5 p.m. Mail to OEM, 3930 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem, OR 97302.
- Friday, Oct. 2: Winners notified.
