On Thursday, November 7, Macon-Bibb County and Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful (KMBB) celebrated student creativity at the annual Clean Streets Matter Art & Essay for the fourth year. This year's theme was "What I do to help keep Macon-Bibb beautiful?"

"Our departments and partners do a great job attacking things that bring down our neighborhoods, like littering and illegal dump sites, but we need to make sure our children know the importance of a clean street if we're going to make a true difference," said Macon-Bibb County Executive Director of Community Affairs Dr. Henry Ficklin. "If we can show the children of today why clean streets matter, then we can get to a day when people stop littering."

More than 500 students from 14 different schools in Macon-Bibb County participated in this year's contest. There were four categories: K-2ndGrade Art; 3rd-5thGrade Art, 6th-8thGrade Essay, and 9th-12thGrade Essay.

"We want to encourage creative expression, critical thinking, and communication skills through a combination of visual art and written analysis," said Asha Ellen, Executive Director of KMBB. "This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining a cleaner and greener environment."

Each winner earned a monetary prize, and the first-place winner in the essay categories read their submission to the audience.

"This contest promises a better future for the environments promoting clean air, unpolluted  water and recycling and beautification," said contest organizer and KMBB Board Member Janice Habersham.

All winners and their parents will be invited to KMBB Night at the Macon Mayhem game on February 1, and they will represent KMBB on a float in the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.