Ahi Poke by Katelyn Matsumoto.

Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation’s “Localicious Hawaiʻi Art and Poetry Calendar Contest” for the 2020-2021 school year is now open for submissions from Nov. 1-30, 2020. The contest is presented by Hawaiʻi Gas and is open for students from grades K-8. Students are invited to submit original artwork or poem about their favorite dish made with locally grown, caught or raised products.

The contest inspires children to learn about the local ingredients in their favorite foods and understand how food goes from farm to table.

Art and poetry are judged as two separate contests. Two grand prize winners will be selected – one overall art winner and one overall poetry winner. Grand prizes include a $100 gift card to a Localicious restaurant, their winning entry featured prominently in the 2022 Localicious Hawaiʻi Art and Poetry calendar, and a hydroponic herb kit. The first and second place winners in each of the three categories – Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-8 – will receive a $75 (first place) or $50 (second place) gift card to a Localicious restaurant. All winning entries will be included in the 2022 Localicious Hawaiʻi Art and Poetry Calendar.

Menpachi by Tyler Gouveia.

Last school year’s overall art winner Katelyn Matsumoto (Grade 8, Kapolei Middle School) submitted an original artwork “Ahi Poke”, which featured local Maui onions and fresh locally-caught tuna, that she mixed to create her poke dish. Overall poetry winner Tyler Gouveia’s (Grade 1, Hoʻokena Elementary School) poem entitled, “Menpachi,” shared his family’s experience in catching and cooking menpachi.

“Hawai‘i Gas is a proud sponsor of this annual event and looks forward to the creative entries by our keiki,” says Alicia Moy, president and CEO of Hawai‘i Gas. “The perspective and insights young keiki have to share in the areas of place-based learning, agriculture and more, will be exciting to explore through their poetry and artistic creations.”

“The Localicious Hawaiʻi Art and Poetry Calendar Contest allows our keiki to express themselves creatively and learn about where food come from,” says Denise Yamaguchi, executive director of HAF. “We are also happy to partner with Hawai‘i Gas to encourage our keiki to learn about the vital role local agriculture plays in our daily lives.”

Launched in 2014, the contest continues to encourage students to learn about local food systems. The Localicious Art & Poetry Calendar Contest is an extension of HAF’s Localicious Hawaiʻi program, an annual campaign in March that promotes restaurants that source locally grown, caught, or raised products. Participating restaurants create a signature Localicious dish and pledge money to raise funds for HAF’s K-12 ag education programs.