Ecomaine recently announced the launch of its Upcycle Challenge for 2024, targeted at students from grades 1-6 and 7-12 with the opportunity to win a $250 award in their respective age groups.

The Upcycle Challenge invites students from ecomaine’s member communities — including Freeport, Brunswick and Woolwich — to transform discarded items into fresh, functional designs. Submissions must be made by March 29, incorporate post-consumer materials, demonstrate ingenuity and functionality, involve students in the process, and receive approval from a teacher or advisor. Ecomaine’s Outreach & Recycling Committee will carefully select a group of finalists from the submissions. During Earth Month in April 2024, the public will then have the chance to vote for their favorite designs among the finalists.

“Each year, we are truly amazed by the inventive ideas presented by these students,” Bea Johnson, ecomaine’s environmental educator, said in a prepared release. “Their commitment to reducing waste in landfills and their exceptional creativity result in incredible, functional and resourceful designs.”

Previous iterations of the Upcycle Challenge have witnessed remarkable entries, such as a working chandelier crafted from old plastic bottles, a bike rack created from repurposed bicycles, fashionable garments made from plastic and discarded fabrics, hair scrunchies repurposed from old clothing, furniture made out of old tires, and even movie projectors ingeniously constructed from miscellaneous discarded materials.

For guidelines, rules and the entry form, visit ecomaine.org/tours-and-educational-outreach/upcycle-challenge/.

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