Every year, IRWD hosts a poster contest for students in grades kindergarten through 12th. Students are asked to create a poster that shows how to use water wisely at home, school, business or in agriculture, or show how saving water can help the environment.

Posters are selected based on the originality and clarity of the message as well as the artistic level and the overall uniqueness. The posters are judged within grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12, so everyone has a chance to win! 

IRWD's first round winners

These finalists will be honored by IRWD with a certificate, special gift, and a chance to be published in the IRWD coloring book.

Next round 

IRWD finalists have been submitted to regional competitions for a chance to win an iPad from Municipal Water District of Orange County and/or be published in the annual calendar produced by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See the 2024 calendar.

Go to IRWD.com/postercontest for more details about the annual contest and to see previous years' winners.

Give some love to biodiversity with your own native pollinator garden

Native plants and pollinators depend on each other for survival — each one struggling to live without the other. Sadly, both populations are in decline.

Native plants rely on indigenous birds, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other species to reproduce; while native pollinators depend on naturally occurring plants for food, shelter, and to support their natural lifecycle.

You can help restore their numbers by adding California native plants to your landscape. Even a native plant potted on your porch can help.

Go to calscape.org to search for plants native to our Orange County climate. Many native seeds, available online, will still germinate even when planted in late winter. For potted varieties, a list of local native plant nurseries can be found at IRWD.com/landscape. Be sure to check out Episode 1 of IRWD’s Shed Show series for some entertaining tips at IRWD.com/shedshow.

Native pollinator gardens make a beeautiful addition to any landscape, and once established, they require very little irrigation. Plant yours to help nature and save water.

This article was originally published in Pipelines, IRWD's monthly customer newsletter. Read more and sign up for other newsletters

Night falls early in winter, taking the spotlight off our landscapes. Why not add some dazzle to your yard with plants that glisten in the moonlight?

Billowy white blossoms and shimmering silver leaves reflect the moon’s rays to create an ethereal quality perfect for nighttime enjoyment. Shasta daisies, sweet alyssum and white lupine are some show-stopping choices, while lamb’s ear, dusty miller and sage add a subtle silver sheen that plays with light and shadow.

Night-bloomers like the moonflower and dragonfruit cactus wait until dusk to slowly open their blossoms to the night, emitting intoxicating scents similar to citrus and coconut to attract nocturnal pollinators.

The tuberose is a succulent revered for its beauty, with tall stalks topped with flowery clusters that produce a sweet honey nocturnal scent.

Plant these and others in your garden to create a dreamy, peaceful retreat, and consider soft gentle lighting to enhance the mood—casting your landscape in a new light— when it’s dark.

This article was originally published in The Dirt, IRWD's quarterly gardening newsletter. Read more and sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox

Do you know a budding artist in grades K–12?

Students in our service area have until Feb. 26 (deadline extended!) to enter the annual water awareness poster contest for a chance to win great prizes!

The contest has three rounds. First, IRWD staff judges local entries and selects finalists, honoring them with a certificate, a special gift, and a chance to be published in the IRWD coloring book. IRWD finalists then move on to an Orange County competition, and those finalists compete at the Southern California level.

Grand prize winners have a chance to win an iPad and be published in the annual “Being Water Wise is…” student art calendar.

This year’s theme is “Save Blue. Live Green.”

To review the rules and enter the 2024 contest, visit IRWD.com/postercontest.