Is there an adorbs category? See the winners of our drawing contest
Compost-pooping robot dog! Smog-cleaning penguins! Treehouses! Wikes (wind + bikes)!!!
Those are just a few of the fantastic and whimsical ideas submitted to our drawing contest that asked kids to imagine one way Seattle can save energy.
We received entries from 42 young artists. A selection are capture here. You can see the full gallery on our Facebook page.
Prizes for the contest winners include: A set of KUOW argyle socks to flaunt on the playground, some light bedtime reading called Out on the Wire: Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, and a KUOW backpack.
Reporters working on our climate change series The Burning Question were tasked with the tough job of picking winners.
"These were beautiful entries, they really made my week," said KUOW reporter Amy Radil. "One of our favorites was a suggestion by Hailey that we should have a smog-trapping machine, but it should be shaped like a penguin 'so that the public would accept it.' That just makes me happy," said Radil.
"This is just beautiful because it's got pictures of flowers and as you can see, next to the car, they're as big as trees. So they actually could clean up the air," said KUOW executive producer Ross Reynolds.
It was tough to choose. But when you invite people to join a contest, you have to pick a winner. So here they are, in three categories. Plus, runners up. Because, seriously. How do you choose between these amazing drawings?
Winner #1Coolest Idea: Miranda, Age 10
"This has just so many things going on and it's super detailed. It's almost like an engineering drawing," said Radil. "They have a robotic hawk that keeps the birds away from the turbines. So you have these wind turbines, the garden, the elevator-power here, electric car chargers down at the base. These are things that are really happening and they are spreading in Seattle."
Runner Up, Coolest Idea: "Emmet, age 8, nailed it," said Reynolds. "He is seeing all the water falling all over our region in torrents. And what happens to that water? It just goes down the drain. It never generates any power -- but it could -- if you put turbines on down spouts," said Reynolds.
Winner #2Best Creative or Avant-garde Idea: Olive, Age 7
"I love the idea of a cable car going across Lake Washington," said Reynolds. "It's also solar powered!"
Runner Up, Best Creative or Avant-garde Idea: Jane, Age 7
"There are trees growing out of everywhere, trees growing out of an apartment building, trees and flowers growing out of the Space Needle, and my favorite — a tree growing out of an airplane," said reporter John Ryan.
"They say we're needing to cut our emissions so much that we need to start thinking not just about zero emissions but negative emissions," said Ryan. "This is maybe what it might look like."
Winner #3The Climate Masterpiece: Anzara, age 7
Runner Up, The Climate Masterpiece: Sonia, age 9
"The fine pencil technique of this drawing is just exquisite," said Reynolds.
In case you missed it, watch our Burning Question reporting team deliberate over the entries in this video:
