"Hello, I am Tara. I drew an unhappy girl in poor water conditions with unclean rivers, dirty brownish water from sinks, dirty laundry clothes hung up, lots of pollution, and acid rain. She dreams of a place with clean and healthy water and imagines a beautiful World with no pollution and clean rivers around her. There are many children in the World like the unhappy girl are not at able to wash their hands and drink healthy water. During COVID19 we realized how important clean water is. We have to wash our hands several times a day. Unfortunately, a lot of people and factories pollute the water by throwing garbage, waste and chemicals in rivers and oceans which is hurting the fish and the sea life. I think we all shouldn’t pollute and waste the water so our World can be as beautiful as the place the unhappy girl was dreaming of. If we pollute the water on earth where else can we go? "

"My family and I always go to the beach in the summer. I remember the beautiful clear water. The smell of the water breeze, wind whipping through my hair. But there are some beaches we went to that weren't so beautiful. Garbage was piled high, plastic bottles bobbing up and down, and bags strewn all over the place. I was so disappointed one time we went to the beach and saw pollution everywhere. I created my piece of art to show how our wildlife feels. Drowning, being strangled, not knowing what's food and what's garbage. We could have lived a life with clean, fresh water. We could have lived a life where fish swam freely and plants grew openly. But we didn't change in time. I want to inspire people before it's too late. We need to change. And we need everyone to do that with us. "

"Time has halted

Land has faulted,

Shall this not pass.

Treasures have been lost

Feathers have been tossed,

Shall this ever pass.

Hope is the only hope

To let our souls cope,

Soon everything will mend

But shall this ever end." - Samya Singh

"I wrote this poem to justify my artwork. Everyday is full sadness and uncertainty. It feels like a natural force is pushing down on you. It's the emotions like loneliness that you just can’t seem to shade. Surrounded by walls all the time can be very depressing. But this quarantine I focused on the concept of finding good in everything. I realized how lucky I was to have a home to live in, food to eat, internet to communicate and most importantly water to drink. And that's what my art is inspired by. My art is inspired by the people who walk miles everyday to get water for their family. How even during this pandemic they have to risk their lives to go get something as important as water."

"Save water"

A selection of the participating art was showcased on World Water Day 2021 through the social media outlets of SWIGS and the Water Institute. Check out the highlights in this video!

Learn more about the 2021 contest in this video!