The Newton County Farm Bureau encourages students in grades 9-12 to enter the Georgia Farm Bureau Art Contest. Entries should be drawn in black ink or dark soft-lead pencil on 8½-by-11-inch white paper and should be camera-ready. The winner will receive a check for $50.

"Agriculture generated a total economic impact of $71.1 billion on Georgia’s $763.6 billion economy in 2012," said Keith Mitcham, Newton County Farm Bureau president.

"The purpose of the Farm Bureau Art Contest is to encourage students to increase their knowledge of Georgia agriculture and the contributions it makes to our lives every day."

Drawings will be judged on: 1) how well the artwork represents modern agriculture found in Newton County or Georgia’s agriculture industry; and 2) artistic merit.

Interested high school artists should contact the Newton County Farm Bureau for an official entry form and contest rules. All entries must be received at the Newton County Farm Bureau office by Feb. 1, 2014.

"This contest is a wonderful way for art teachers and home-school parents to encourage their students to creatively explore modern Georgia agriculture," said Sandi Mitcham, Newton County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee chairman.

The Newton County winner will be entered in the Georgia Farm Bureau 3rd District competition, where the prize is $100. The 10 GFB district winners will compete for the state prize of $250, with two runners-up receiving $150. Previous state winners are not eligible.

Students must be willing to allow the Georgia Farm Bureau to reprint copies of their drawings. The winning artwork becomes the property of Georgia Farm Bureau and will be printed in a calendar.

Georgia Farm Bureau and SunTrust Bank of Middle Georgia sponsor the contest, which is coordinated by the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee. For more details, contact the Newton County Farm Bureau office at 770-786-7201, or visit http://www.gfb.org/programs/aic.