Gardening Calendar Annual Art Competition

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County
is pleased to announce the
6th Annual Student Art Competition
for Grades K-12

Submissions will be judged by professional artists and winning artwork will be featured in the 2027 CCE Nassau Annual Gardening Calendar.

This year we are excited to feature the beauty of Cornell Cooperative Extension's East Meadow Farm. We invite students to interpret a photograph taken at East Meadow Farm(see pages 3-5) via their own artistic style - which is sure to transform the photograph into many unique interpretations of the original scene! Whether it be realism, impressionism, abstract or pop.... let the student's imagination soar!

The chosen submissions of East Meadow Farm will be featured on the cover and also throughout the calendar, along with the other suggested subjects below.

Want an up close and personal artistic experience? Visit East Meadow Farm which is open
seven days a week from dawn to dusk.... painters invited!!

Suggested subjects for artwork are:

• Flowers, vegetables, trees, bushes, gardens or nature scenes that are found on Long Island
• Animals, birds and insects (i.e, bees, butterflies) whose habitats are found on Long Island
• Garden tools, seed packets, garden accents (i.e., fountains, statuary, chimes, etc)
• A garden or nature scene in one of the four seasons.

If interpreting a photo of East Meadow Farm, please note those photos can also be viewed by clicking here.  

RULES

1. No photography or digital art please. See attachment for details on medium.
2. Up to 2 submissions per student.
3. Submissions are due by June 5, 2026 and should be emailed to: ArtSubmission4H@cornell.edu (Acceptable file types are jpg, gif or pdf)
4. Students must include their name, current grade, address, phone number, school / district and parent email on the submission form.
5. By submitting artwork, the artist consents to CCE Nassau using artwork in additional print or online materials.

Click here for the forms regarding rules and information regarding the submissions.

JUDGE

Michelle Palatnik is a figurative painter who specializes in portraiture. She earned her BFA from NYU and studied classical methods of realism at the Grand Central Atelier. You can view her work at the Salmagundi Club and Main Street Gallery in Huntington. In addition to her studio practice, Michelle has taught at the Nassau County Museum of Art and served as the Art League of Long Island’s Portfolio Specialist. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Concordia College.

Michelle’s teaching style welcomes an unrestrained pursuit of ideas. She approaches everything with a fresh curiosity and encourages her students to explore not only art and history, but themselves, as freely and honestly as possible. Valuing diversity of thought and experience, there is no concept or style that isn’t given earnest effort to understand. Michelle genuinely cares about people and crafts courses that address her students’ needs. Above all, she pushes them to think deeply, observe closely, and create with purpose.

"I am grateful to be able to pursue my passion and help others discover their voice. I have always believed in art's ability to extend beyond language, to help us pause and reflect. Creating art allows us to process our emotions; viewing and appreciating it allows us to experience them. In trying to express something about the world, we are given the chance to really look at it with greater sensitivity. Artistic expression empowers, mends, and enables patience, feeling, and understanding. I believe in the power of art.” - Michelle Palatnik

Last updated March 20, 2026