United Way of Cayuga County Announces 5th Annual Youth Drawing Contest
Cayuga County, New York, February 27, 2026 – The United Way of Cayuga County is seeking youth artists to design the annual Day of Caring event t-shirt! The design should highlight the impact that the United Way has on Cayuga County. Such as volunteering, bringing people together around the common good, creating hope, and supporting one another through difficult times.
The winning design will be featured prominently on the front of the Day of Caring t-shirt. In addition to being featured on the Day of Caring t-shirt, the winning design will be featured on the United Way website, social media, promotional materials, and much more. The runner-up and second runner-up designs will be printed on the back side of the t-shirt.
Event t-shirts were worn by more than 370 volunteers last year as they tackled 19 projects between Fair Haven, Montezuma, Auburn, Union Springs, Aurora, and Poplar Ridge—a number that continues to grow.
The winner and both runners-up will receive a t-shirt, art supplies, and a gift card for their designs. Prizes will be awarded at the Day of Caring Breakfast Rallies and Youth Artists’ families are welcome to join. The Breakfast Rally is attended by Day of Caring volunteers, project site coordinators, event sponsors, and dignitaries to celebrate community and volunteerism in Cayuga County on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Due to the growth of this event, this year there will be a Breakfast Rally in both Auburn and Union Springs.
The United Way’s goal is to have submissions from every region of Cayuga County.
Submission Requirements:
- Youth must be 10 years of age – High School Senior
- Youth must either live or attend school in Cayuga County
- Must be line drawings, hand drawn works preferred
- Secular submission only, no Earth Day
- Must submit drawing along with this completed form to Julisa Stone-Szpaicher by Friday, April 17, 2026 either scanned and emailed to jstone@unitedwayofcayugacounty.org or physical submissions dropped off at the United Way: 2 State Street, Suite 2, Auburn, NY 13021.
All submissions will be reviewed by United Way staff and the Board of Directors will vote for the finalists. Community voting sites will be set up across Cayuga County in early May for in-person voting as well as online voting. Once votes are tallied, the United Way will contact the winner and both runners-up before announcing via Facebook Live to the community at-large.
If you have any questions about the Youth Drawing Contest or the Day of Caring event, reach out to Campaign & Marketing Manager, Julisa Stone-Szpaicher at 315.253.9741 or email jstone@unitedwayofcayugacounty.org.
The United Way of Cayuga County is committed to improving lives in our community by advancing the common good and addressing the underlying causes of problems. The United Way is dedicated to community involvement and focused on creating long-lasting changes that will positively affect today, tomorrow and generations to come. Annually, the United Way conducts a campaign to raise dollars to support essential programs provided by funded Member Agencies as well as initiatives such as Book Buddies, Community Building Mini-Grant, CA$H: Free Tax Preparation, and more.
Learn more about the United Way of Cayuga County and support the 2025-26 Campaign by visiting unitedwayofcayugacounty.org.
Press Release written by Julisa J. Stone-Szpaicher, Campaign & Marketing Manager and submitted to news outlets on Friday, February 27,2026