Students in primary and secondary schools (public and private, K-12) are invited to design a poster for the 23rd annual River Sweep 2012.

Fifteen prizes will be awarded. The grand prize is a $500 U.S. Savings Bond, and the school representing the grand prize winner will also receive an award.

A $500 U.S. Savings Bond will be presented to the student with the winning design for the official River Sweep T-shirt.

Thirteen $50 U.S. Savings Bonds will be awarded to one winner at each grade level.

The poster contest is open to students living in or attending schools in counties bordering the Ohio River, or counties participating in the River Sweep.

This includes all counties along the Ohio River in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

The 23rd annual River Sweep will be Saturday, June 16, 2012. River Sweep is a one-day cleanup project for the Ohio River and its tributaries.

The Sweep covers nearly 3,000 miles of shoreline from Pittsburgh, PA, to Cairo, IL, and averages more than 20,000 volunteers a year. Trash collected during the Sweep has included cars, tires, furniture, toys, a piano, and a variety of other items. All trash collected is either recycled or placed in approved landfills.

River Sweep is held to create an awareness of water quality problems caused by litter and illegal dumping. The poster contest, in conjunction with River Sweep, is one way to spread the word about litter prevention.

Posters submitted for the contest should reflect this goal and focus on encouraging volunteer participation.

Deadline for the River Sweep Poster Contest is Dec. 14, 2011.

River Sweep is sponsored by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). ORSANCO is the water pollution control agency for the Ohio River and its tributaries.

Other agencies participating in the River Sweep include Illinois EPA, Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, and West Virginia Make It Shine Program. Voluntary contributions from industries provide major funding for the Sweep.

For further information about the River Sweep Poster Contest, or for complete contest rules and regulations, contact Jeanne Ison at 1-800-359-3977, or visit the Commission’s website at www.orsanco.org.