Keep San Antonio Beautiful worked to keep Fiesta Verde by encouraging recycling during the city’s Battle of Flowers and Fiesta Flambeau parades.

Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, hosted the contest in collaboration with the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

The contest asked students to create a poster featuring artwork and a message of how they see litter effecting the Earth.

First place was awarded to Shyah Watson, a 4th grade student at Fallon Elementary School in Pawtucket. Her message stated, “How big must litter be so we’ll stop ignoring it?” along with a commonly littered item – a water bottle.

Jonathen Fortes, also a 4th grade student in Pawtucket, won second place. Jonathen’s poster featured a drawing with sharks and fish and the message to “Keep the ocean clean! Or the animals will be mean.”

Third place was awarded to Carlos Pinto, a 7th grade student from Lincoln Middle School. He designed a poster with a baseball theme. His message was simply, “Let’s Strike Out Litter.”

“The posters had a variety of messages but when our kids remind us, Be Part of the Solution, not the Pollution; If You Litter, You’re a Critter; and Don’t Pay the Price, Keep our Earth Nice,” said Donna Kaehler, director of Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful. “These thoughts make us all think about how our habits should change to solve litter in Rhode Island.”

The winners recently attended a special Pawtucket Red Sox game where they were invited out on the field and received an autographed baseball from second baseman Chad De La Guerra.

Click here to see images of the winning posters.