Young artists across Illinois participated in Illinois American Water’s annual “Water Keeps Life Flowing” art contest which illustrates the importance of reliable, safe water service. Through the contest, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students submitted a drawing and sentence about what water service means to them. To help spark creativity, teachers explained how important water service is for public health, food, daily chores, firefighting, manufacturing and more.

Illinois American Water chose 26 winners who earned their classrooms a $100 donation. The artwork can be viewed on Illinois American Water’s Facebook page. The winning artwork may be featured in future company communications.

According to Illinois American Water Vice President of Operations Beth Matthews, the art contest “merges art with the science of water service.” She said, “Both water and art are critical to a thriving community, and both may be easily taken for granted. By drawing on the creativity of local students, we can help bring attention to both art and water service in a creative way.”

The art contest winners are listed below in alphabetical order:

Adalynn R., 3rd grader, Unity East Elementary, Tolono

Addison R., 4th grader, St. James Catholic School, Millstadt

Alyza, 5th grader, Hardin County Elementary School, Elizabethtown

Amarah R., 4th grader, Dr. C.T. Vivian Primary School, Peoria

Amirah T., East Alton Elementary, Alton

Audrey, 4th grader, St. Clare Catholic School, O’Fallon

Ava S., 5th grader, Central School, Lincoln

Callum M., 4th Grader, St. Mary’s School, Pontiac

Camille C., 4th grader, Holy Cross Elementary, Champaign

Carter D., 3rd grader, Central School, Lincoln

Donny R., 4th grader, Whittier Primary, Peoria

Giselle T., 4th grader, Unity West Elementary, Tolono

Harrison H., 5th grader, St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School, Sterling

Ivana S., 4th grader, John R. Tibbott School, Bolingbrook

Karlee T., 4th grader, Holy Family School, Granite City

Lara A., 4th grader, Oak View School, Bolingbrook

Marie U., 5th grader, Belle Valley School, Belleville

Max, 5th grader, Builta Elementary, Bolingbrook

Michaella D., 3rd grader, Frost Elementary School, Mt. Prospect

Natale K., 5th grader, St. Jude Catholic School, Peoria

Payton D., 5th grader, Northlawn Junior High, Streator

Reya S., Builta Elementary, Bolingbrook

Samera M., 5th grader, Trewyn Middle School, Peoria

Sophia C., Hadley Middle School, Homer Glen

Taylor G., 5th grader, St. Joseph Catholic School, Pekin

Zoey D., 4th grader, Unity West Elementary, Tolono

About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and diversityataw.com. Follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

ILLINOIS AMERICAN WATER WAS RANKED HIGHEST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH LARGE WATER UTILITIES IN THE MIDWEST THREE YEARS IN A ROW!

For J.D. Power 2022 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards.

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