CHARLESTON, WV – First Lady Cathy Justice is inviting all West Virginia students to participate in the eighteenth annual First Lady Student Ornament Competition. All kindergarten through 12th grade students who are public, private, or home-schooled are encouraged to create a “Nutcracker” themed ornament for the tree, which will be on display at the Culture Center in Charleston during the holiday season.

Ornaments will be classified in four divisions according to grade: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each ornament will be individually judged and four winning classes will be selected, one from each division. In January 2023, the winning ornaments will be donated to the West Virginia State Museum for a permanent collection.

The ornaments and the Christmas tree will be unveiled in conjunction with Joyful Night, the annual holiday celebration at the State Capitol held in early December. The four winning classes will receive a gift card to help purchase supplies for their class.

Students may mail their entries to:
Elizabeth Yeager
Department of Arts, Culture and History
The Culture Center
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
Charleston, WV 25305

With their submission, students MUST include their contact information (phone, email, mailing address, teacher name, school and class).

Ornaments must be received by November 18, 2022, to be eligible for judging.

Design and submission information for the 2022 First Lady Student Ornament Competition can be found at https://wvculture.org/first-lady-student-ornament-competition-2022/.

For questions please contact Elizabeth Yeager by email at elizabeth.a.yeager@wv.gov.