Every Year, Bowmanville celebrates earth day in 2 ways:

1. 2026 Earth Day Art Contest.

School-aged Bowmanville residents, or students at Amundsen High School, Chappell Elementary School, or Rogers Park Montessori School are invited to create engaging images for the BCO to use in emails, on flyers, and on social media to get neighbors inspired to do their part on Earth Day! The winners receive a $75 Amazon gift card (which we hope will be used on art supplies), and will be credited by name, if desired, every time we use the image. 

To qualify, the image submitted for the contest must:

• Be an earth- or nature-themed original creation by a neighborhood student

• Include the words: Bowmanville Earth Day Cleanup

• Be submitted as a digital image: .jpg or .png – but the original artwork can be executed in any medium

• Be the size of a horizontal, letter-sized page – 11” wide x 8.5” tall (send a high-res image)

• Be submitted to: http://bit.ly/BCOearthday26 

• Be sent no later than 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 29

Entries will be evaluated based on:

• Originality, creativity, and artistry of design

• Clear and engaging text and imagery around the topic appropriate for use in social media posts and/or printed flyers

• Artwork must be original — it cannot include any copyrighted images or materials

Entries are anonymized and voted on by the BCO Board. Winners will be notified via email.
If you have any questions about the contest, email president+arts@bcochicago.org

2. Once you’re inspired by the art, pitch in to get the neighborhood into tip-top shape for the spring!

To celebrate and support Earth Day, the BCO will hosts an annual Bowmanville Earth Day Cleanup on the first Saturday after Earth Day.

Once the snow clears, the long-hidden detritus of the winter months begins to emerge. 

To participate, stop by any time between 9 AM and Noon at either the BCO Gateway Garden pergola near Ravenswood and Summerdale or the BCO GreenSpace, located near 5386-5410 N Bowmanville, and look for the BCO member at the picnic table. You’ll receive trash bags and gloves, and an area to clean. Come by yourself or bring your whole family! Recruit some neighbors! We’ll keep you going with coffee, cider, and donuts. Helping to clean up the neighborhood is a great way to spend time outdoors with neighbors and be involved in keeping Bowmanville beautiful!

Check the BCO Facebook Page or other social media in the event of inclement weather. Rain day is typically the next day (Sunday).