Christmas trees and gingerbread houses aren’t the only thing being decorated this holiday season.
We all know that 2020 has been a tough year for everyone, but especially for teachers and students. So, as an opportunity to bring some holiday cheer and excitement, we decided to host a unique art contest for schools in the local Philadelphia area. The EmpireCovers Holiday Car Cover Contest challenged schools to compete against each other in one of the winter seasons oldest traditions - decorating Christmas trees car covers!
The schools that participated in the contest were Wissahickon Middle School, Stephen Decatur School, and Orchard Valley Middle School. The public voted on their favorite car covers from December 7th to the 17th, and it is now time to announce the winner!
1st Place - Stephen Decatur School
Coming in first place with over 2,000 votes is Stephen Decatur's entry - "Another Day in the Mail Room". Stephen Decatur students took a unique approach with their cover by turning it into an installation of Santa working in his mail room. The cover was transformed into a desk where Santa is hard at work reading over all the Christmas letters sent to him from boys and girls all over the world. Students in Grade K, 1st, 7th, and 8th came up with the idea and worked on the cover together.
2nd Place - Orchard Valley Middle School
In a close 2nd place is Orchard Valley's entry - "Sweet Ride". This car cover is a “sweet” design made with sugar and spice. Bumper to bumper gingerbread and graham cracker. Topped with candy canes, gum drops and marshmallow icing galore. Complete with peppermint rims and a chocolate brick chimney that actually works!. This car cover was created by the Orchard Valley Middle School Art Club, consisting of students in 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade.
3rd Place - Wissahickon Middle School
In 3rd place is Wissahickon Middle School's entry - "Krampus & the Slay Belles". The students of Wissahickon Middle School took a spooky approach with their cover. The front hood is showing Krampus, who in Central European folklore, is a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as "half-goat, half-demon", who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, kind of like today’s Elf on a Shelf watching or getting coal in your stocking. This contrasts with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts.The sides of the car depict everything from Snoopy and other beloved cartoon characters, Winter Wonderland imagery, Hanukkah menorah with latkes and dreidel, elves in a variety of poses and actions and the end to 2020 with a New Year’s Eve countdown and fireworks. The tailgate end depicts Santa’s “Slay Belles” balancing out the theme of naughty and nice.
We want to thank all of the teachers and students that participated in the contest despite the difficulties they faced in getting the project done amidst the pandemic. We also want to thank everyone that supported and voted for the entries by sharing them on social media. We hope to bring the contest back next year and make it even bigger and better!