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Keep Suffolk Beautiful is launching an Earth Day Poster Contest this week in celebration of the event’s 50th anniversary that’s being observed on Wednesday.

According to the city press release, this contest is open to all students who are Suffolk residents and enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade, including public, private and homeschooled students. The contest will run from Wednesday to May 22, and winners will be selected and notified in June.

Winners are selected based on the following categories: kindergarten; first through fifth grades; sixth through eighth grades; and ninth through 12th grades.

The winners will receive certificates and prize packs containing their own personal litter prevention kits donated by Keep Virginia Beautiful, plus other goodies.

The goal is for these posters to “help inform the community about respecting the planet,” the press release states.

“We thought this would be a fun contest to hold while our young people are learning at home,” Kathy Russell, chairperson of Keep Suffolk Beautiful, states in the press release. “We hope parents can incorporate the contest into their homeschooling activities.”

Participants should email photos of their finished posters to littercontrol@suffolkva.us. Submissions must include their name, home address, telephone number, the student’s email address or a parent’s, and their school and grade level.

For more information about the poster contest, including rules, visit suffolkva.us/316/litter-control, follow Keep Suffolk Beautiful on Facebook, email littercontrol@suffolkva.us, or call 268-6195.

Teachers and homeschooling parents are also encouraged to submit posters that Keep Suffolk Beautiful will share on social media to inspire students. Visit the “Keep Suffolk Beautiful” Facebook page for more information, and visit earthday.org for more about its history, along with virtual events to celebrate while staying at home.