TRASH TO TREASURE: Previous winners of the Mercer County Library System’s TrashedArt Contest are displayed at one of its branches. Submissions for this year’s contest, which celebrates Earth Day, will be accepted February 28 through March 6.

The Mercer County Library System has announced the dates for its 15th Annual TrashedArt Contest. The contest celebrates Earth Day by encouraging patrons to turn ordinary trash into extraordinary art. The library will accept artwork starting Wednesday, February 28, through Wednesday, March 6. Accepted artwork will be on display at Mercer County Library System branches throughout the months of March and April. Adults and teens (ages 14 and up) who live, work, or go to school in Mercer County are eligible to participate. Contest entry forms and information are available online at mcl.org/events/trashedart.

Entries must be original artwork, no larger than 2.5’ by 2.5’ by 2.5’ and no heavier than 10 pounds. Any art medium is acceptable, as long as a minimum of 75 percent recycled content is used. Some examples of recycled content include metals, paper, rubber, glass (but no sharp shards),
plastic, and cloth. The contest is limited to one entry per artist. See mcl.org/events/trashedart/ for details. The Mercer County Library System will not be held responsible for any damage, theft, or loss to art entries.

The Grand Prize winners in first, second, and third place for adults, first place in a special student category, and People’s Choice award winners will be announced at the TrashedArt Contest Reception at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. Entries will be anonymously judged by local artists and representatives of the Mercer County Library System on creativity, originality, and artistic merit. Patrons will have a chance to vote for the People’s Choice awards in person at each of the nine branches and virtually on the MCLS website. Register online for the TrashedArt Reception at mcl.org.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library Ewing Branch, Friends of the Hickory Corner Library, Friends of the Hopewell Library, Friends of the Lawrence Library, and Friends of the West Windsor Library. The Friends help support programs at the library branches, including the Summer Reading Program.

For more information, visit mcl.org.