2025 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: The Results of Local Contest

Posted on May 12, 2025May 14, 2025

For the 2025 Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW), the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) organized an Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12 students in Central Florida, centered on the theme “Glaciers: Hot Topic, Cool Chemistry!.” Among the many CCEW activities, this contest encouraged young minds to explore chemistry creatively.

Thanks to the support of county school board members and dedicated teachers who promoted the event, numerous students from across Central Florida participated, submitting a wide array of entries for all categories, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

The winners of the local contest
K-2 Category: Liam Wever* (2^nd grade), Carillon Elementary (Seminole County)
3-5 Category: Hrishika Soni* (4^th grade), Heathrow Elementary School (Seminole County)
6-8 Category: T. T. (8^th grade), Horizon West Middle School (Orange County)
9-12 Category: Erik Denico (12^th grade), Lake Buena Vista High School (Orange County)
* Permission to use student’s full name was obtained.

The winner of each category will receive a certificate and a monetary award of $50. The teacher who guided the winner of each category will receive a school supply funding of $100. The winner of each category also advances to the national 2025 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest. The results of the national contest will be published on ACS website soon.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the local contest, please contact the local section’s coordinator of the contest (Dr. Duy Le, submission@orlandoacs.org).

2025 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: Hot Topic, Cool Chemistry!

Posted on February 15, 2025March 3, 2025

The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is hosting an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Entries must be sponsored by a local school or community group for verification purposes.

Contest_Deadline:	Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern
Local Prizes:	One winner* will be awarded ($50) for each of the flowing categories: Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 The teacher who guided the winner will receive a small funding ($100) for classroom supplies. *Submissions must be of high quality, align with the contest’s theme, and achieve the highest score.
Local Contact:	Duy Le (submission@orlandoacs.org)
Submission:	Illustrated poem and submission form must be submitted to https://forms.gle/Fq9K4iP12LeRf8r48 or emailed to submission@orlandoacs.org

Winners of the Orlando Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!

How to participate:

Write and illustrate a poem using the CCEW theme, “Glaciers: Hot Topic, Cool Chemistry!” Your poem must be no more than 40 words and in the following styles to be considered:

HAIKU – LIMERICK – ODE – ABC POEM – FREE VERSE – END RHYME – BLANK VERSE

Possible topics related to the theme include:

Climate
Drill
Prism
Ice Core
Preservation
Reservoir
Fossil Fuels
Drought

Entries will be judged based upon:

Artistic Merit – use of color, quality of drawing, design & layout

Poem Message – fun, motivational, inspiring about yearly theme

Originality Creativity – unique, clever and/or creative design

Neatness – free of spelling and grammatical errors

Contest rules:

·   All poems must be no more than 40 words, and in one of the following styles to be considered: Haiku, Limerick, Ode, ABC poem, Free verse, End rhyme, and Blank verse.
·   Entries are judged based upon relevance to and incorporation of the CCEW theme, word choice and imagery, colorful artwork, adherence to poem style, originality and creativity, and overall presentation.
·   All entries must be original works without aid from others. Poems may be submitted by hand on an unlined sheet of paper not larger than 11” by 14” or scanned and sent via email. Illustrations may be created using crayons, watercolors, other types of paint, colored pencils, or markers. The illustration may also be electronically created by using a digital painting and drawing app on a computer, tablet, or mobile device.
·   The text of the poem should be easy-to-read and may be typed before the hand-drawn or digital illustration is added, or the poem may be written on lined paper, which is cut out and pasted onto the unlined paper with the illustration.
·   No clipart or unoriginal images can be used.
·   Only one entry per student will be accepted; all entries must include an entry form.
·   If the illustration is created using a digital painting or drawing app, the name of the program must be included on the entry form (No AI).
·   Acceptance of prizes constitutes consent to use winners’ first name and last initial, along with the name of the ACS Local Section, on the ACS web pages and, in the magazine, Chemical & Engineering News
·   Do not place participant names on the front of your poem.

Download submission form and this flyer.

Examples (Past National winners)

2024 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest: The Results

Posted on December 5, 2024January 13, 2025

Among many other activities for the 2024 National Chemistry Week (NCW), the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) hosted the 2024 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12 students in Central Florida. This year, the theme of the contest is “Picture Perfect Chemistry”.

Thanks to members of counties’ school boards and the teachers who brought the contest to students’ attention, the contest received many entries from multiple schools.

Results of the local contest

K-2 Category
Honorable Mention: E. M.
Freedom 7 Elementary School (Brevard County)

Winner of Grade 9-12 Category, by A. E. from Lake Mary High School (Seminole County)

Grade 3-5 Category
Honorable Mention: A. R. C.
Highlands Elementary School (Osceola County)

Grade 6-8 Category
No Winner

Grade 9-12 Category
Winner: A. E.
Lake Mary High School (Seminole County)

The winner of each category will receive a certificate and a monetary award of $50. The teacher who guided the winner of each category will receive a school supply funding of $100. Honorable Mention will also receive certificate and a monetary award ($25 and $50% for student and teacher, respectively).

The winner of each category also advances to the national 2024 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest. The full results of the national contest can be found at ACS website. If you have any comments or questions regarding the local contest, please contact the local section’s coordinator of the contest (Dr. Duy Le, submission@orlandoacs.org).

Orlando ACS Inspires Young Scientists with Celebrating Chemistry Magazines

Posted on November 16, 2024March 22, 2025

Celebrating Chemistry magazines displayed at a local library.

The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society is on a mission to spark a love for chemistry among children in Central Florida. For the past few years, we have distributed Celebrating Chemistry magazines to local library systems, providing resources that make chemistry accessible and exciting for young learners.

In 2024, the initiative reached a new milestone, with 5,100 copies of the magazines distributed to library systems across five counties in Central Florida. These magazines are now available at local library branches, reaching children in countless communities throughout Central Florida.

The Celebrating Chemistry magazines are more than just reading material—they’re a gateway to hands-on learning. Local libraries have incorporated the magazines into various activities, from science workshops to family-friendly events, helping kids explore chemistry through experiments, puzzles, and real-world applications.

By making chemistry engaging and relatable, the Orlando ACS is nurturing the next generation of scientists and innovators, one magazine at a time.

For future distribution or if you have any question about the distribution, please contact Duy Le (duy.le@ucf.edu).

October 2024’s Newsletter: A few important and exciting news items

Posted on October 23, 2024October 23, 2024

In this Newsletter, we would like to bring your attention to a few important and exciting news.

On Saturday, November 2^nd, 2024 (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM) at the Orlando Science Center, the ACS Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society organizes a community event for National Chemistry Week to celebrate the importance of chemistry in everyday life! Learn about this year’s theme, Picture Perfect Chemistry, with exciting hands-on activities. Stop by to see the fun!
To celebrate National Chemistry Week, the Orlando Section is also organizing the 2024 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest: Picture Perfect Chemistry for K-12 students. We ask you to spread the word to K-12 teachers and students to encourage their participation. The deadline for submission is Sunday, October 27^th, 2024 at 11:59 PM.
The Orlando Section is looking for nominations for 2025 Executive Board. All nominations must be submitted by November 1^st, 2024. More information can be found on our website.
The Orlando Section is also calling for Annual Awards Nominations. To be considered, nominations must be received by 5pm Wednesday November 13, 2024. Questions can be directed to Dr. Nasri Nesnas, Chair of the Orlando Section Awards Committee at nesnas@fit.edu. More information about the annual awards and nomination process can be found on our website.
The American Chemical Society is offering a 30% discount on the cost of ACS membership. Members may simply enter the discount code when joining or renewing their membership and enjoy the benefits. Share this discount code to encourage your colleagues to renew or join! Visit https://www.acs.org/membership.html and use this code Local Sections: LSGROW24 for renewing or joining ACS.

Subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, and activities of our local section.

National Chemistry Week’s event: Picture Perfect Chemistry (Rescheduled)

Posted on October 9, 2024October 9, 2024

Due to the effect of hurricane Milton, this event has been rescheduled

Join the ACS Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society and Orlando Science Center for a community event for National Chemistry Week and celebrate the importance of chemistry in everyday life! Learn about this year’s theme, Picture Perfect Chemistry, with exciting hands-on activities.

When: Saturday, November 2^nd, 2024 (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
Where: Orlando Science Center

2024 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest: Picture Perfect Chemistry

Posted on September 27, 2024September 28, 2024

Contest_Deadline:	Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern
Local Prizes:	One winner will be awarded ($50) for each of the flowing categories: Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 The teacher who guided the winner will receive a small funding ($100) for classroom supplies.
Local Contact:	Duy Le (submission@orlandoacs.org)
Submission:	Illustrated poem and submission form must be submitted to https://forms.gle/yXx7EEJbPzSmu2128 or emailed to submission@orlandoacs.org

Winners of the Orlando Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!

How to participate:

Write and illustrate a poem using the NCE theme, “Picture Perfect Chemistry.” Your poem must be no more than 40 words and in the following styles to be considered:

HAIKU – LIMERICK – ODE – ABC POEM – FREE VERSE – END RHYME – BLANK VERSE

Possible topics related to the theme include:

Chemical reaction
Molecules
Transparent
Ultrasound
Colloid
Film
Filters
Lens
Imaging
Pixel

Entries will be judged based upon:

Artistic Merit – use of color, quality of drawing, design & layout

Poem Message – fun, motivational, inspiring about yearly theme

Originality Creativity – unique, clever and/or creative design

Neatness – free of spelling and grammatical errors

Contest rules:

·   All poems must be no more than 40 words, and in one of the following styles to be considered: Haiku, Limerick, Ode, ABC poem, Free verse, End rhyme, and Blank verse.
·   Entries are judged based upon relevance to and incorporation of the NCW theme, word choice and imagery, colorful artwork, adherence to poem style, originality and creativity, and overall presentation.
·   All entries must be original works without aid from others. Poems may be submitted by hand on an unlined sheet of paper not larger than 11” by 14” or scanned and sent via email. Illustrations may be created using crayons, watercolors, other types of paint, colored pencils, or markers. The illustration may also be electronically created by using a digital painting and drawing app on a computer, tablet, or mobile device.
·   The text of the poem should be easy to read and may be typed before the hand-drawn or digital illustration is added, or the poem may be written on lined paper, which is cut out and pasted onto the unlined paper with the illustration.
·   No clipart or unoriginal images can be used.
·   Only one entry per student will be accepted; all entries must include an entry form. If the illustration is created using a digital painting or drawing app, the name of the program must be included on the entry form.
·   Acceptance of prizes constitutes consent to use winners’ first name, and entry for editorial, advertising, and publicity purposes.
·   Do not place participant names on the front of your poem.

Download submission form and this flyer.

Examples (2023 National winners)

National Chemistry Week’s event: Picture Perfect Chemistry

Posted on September 10, 2024September 10, 2024

When: Saturday, October 12^nd, 2024 (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
Where: Orlando Science Center

If you are interested in helping out with the event, please fill out this form by September 20, 2024. Any question, please contact Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida (Denisia.Popolan-Vaida@ucf.edu). https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ujiyI7Mz1VC2uq

NCW: Picture Perfect Chemistry

Due to the effect of hurricane Milton, this event has been moved to 11/02/2024.

Join the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society and Orlando Science Center for a community event for National Chemistry Week and celebrate the importance of chemistry in everyday life! Learn about this year’s theme, Picture Perfect Chemistry, with exciting hands-on activities.

If you are interested in helping out with the event, please fill out this form by 09/20/2024. Any question, please contact Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida (Denisia.Popolan-Vaida@ucf.edu).

https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ujiyI7Mz1VC2uq

National Chemistry Week ! The Healing Power of Chemistry

Join the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society for a community event for National Chemistry Week and celebrate the importance of chemistry in Everyday life!