Maryland Department of the Environment Honors Student Artists at “Rethink Recycling” Sculpture Contest
Century High School Student Wins Top Prize; Annual Awards Promote Recycling, Creativity among Students
BALTIMORE (Nov. 21, 2025) – Amaya Harding, a student at Century High School, won the grand prize at the Maryland Department of the Environment’s 24th annual “Rethink Recycling” Sculpture Contest today at Montgomery Park in Baltimore City. The winning entry, a flower arrangement made from plastic spoons, floral foam and Christmas light wire, was entitled “What We Once Enjoyed.”
Students from four schools and one 4-H club, representing five counties, won the top prizes in four other categories. This year, 49 entries from 14 high schools and one 4-H club were on display. The students made their sculptures from reused materials.
“These sculptures bring the benefits of recycling to life in a beautiful way,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain. “Waste diversion reduces the amount of material going into landfills, and that helps us reduce greenhouse gasses and fight climate change.”
The grand prize winner received a $500 Amazon gift card. The category first-place winners, each of whom received $200 Amazon gift cards, were:
Creativity: Chelsie Cunningham, Suitland High School, for “Specimens”
Workmanship: Shakeema Randolph, Suitland High School, for “Luminous Lamp Post”
Use of Materials: Alana Van Ornum, Kent Island High School, for “Revival of the Ordinary”
People’s Choice: Darwyn Inselman, Kent Island High School, for “Chesapeake Avian Life”
The second-place winners in each category, who received $100 Amazon gift cards, were:
Creativity: Natalie Burns, C. Milton Wright High School, for “Mother Nature and the Protector”
Workmanship: Anvita Divvela, Damascus Community 4-H Club, for “The Girl”
Use of Materials: Cassandra Krug, Kent Island High School, for “Real Magic Gown”
People’s Choice: Jeb Grissom, Century High School, for “Recyclesaurus”
All winners also received two passes to the National Aquarium. All students and teachers who participated received a $30 Amazon gift card.
To see photos of the winning entries, click here:
Sponsors of the event were: the American Cleaning Institute; Electronics Value Recovery; the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Beverage Association; the Maryland Recycling Network, the National Aquarium; and Waste Management.
“The American Cleaning Institute is proud to continue its support of the Rethink Recycling Sculpture Contest, said Emily Trentacope, vice president of sustainability for the American Cleaning Institute. “We’re committed to eliminating cleaning product packaging waste, and supporting recovery, reuse, and recycling systems is a big part of our roadmap to get there. We appreciate the awareness MDE brings to reducing waste and congratulate the student artists on their engagement in such an important issue.”
Contest judges were: Tania Romero, environmental program coordinator, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore; John Lewis, writer and former teacher at the Maryland Institute College of Art; Rayne Alexander, intermedia artist and writer and senior publicist, Johns Hopkins Press; Amanda Johnson, volunteer for SCRAP Baltimore; and Valerie Androutsopoulos, vice president for business development, Electronics Value Recovery.
Since 2001, MDE has celebrated America Recycles Day by hosting the annual “Rethink Recycling” Sculpture Contest. High school students from across Maryland are invited to participate by creating sculptures made of recycled and reusable materials. The competition is just one way MDE educates and empowers the public to reuse and recycle materials that would have otherwise gone into landfills.
To find out what you can do to reduce, reuse, recycle and buy recycled products, visit MDE’s recycling webpage. The department’s mission is to protect and restore the environment for the health and well-being of all Marylanders.
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