Keep Iowa Beautiful

Photo Credit: Janet Abrahamson, Iowa Cities 2nd Place

13th Annual Keep Iowa Beautiful Annual Photography Contest Submission


October 2023 Newsletter

KIB Annual Photography Contest Now Open

After some small technical issues, the annual photo contest form is back up and running on the Keep Iowa Beautiful website. That's right we’re back again for our 14th annual contest featuring over $2,000 in cash prizes and FIVE categories for entry:

 

  • Iowa Landscape
  • Iowa Water
  • Iowa Cities
  • Iowans in Action
  • Iowa Wildlife

 

“This is a great way for Iowans to share what they like about Iowa,” said Andy Frantz, Keep Iowa Beautiful Executive Director. “There are five categories to enter your favorite photo of what makes you proud to be an Iowan and captures the beauty and spirit of Iowa."


Submissions for this year’s contest are NOW OPEN, so don’t wait — grab your camera, get outside, and snap one of this year's winning photos! The deadline to submit your photo entries is Saturday, December 16th. 

 

To submit your photos and check out the contest rules, visit our website: https://keepiowabeautiful.org/photography-contest/

 

We can't wait to see your beautiful photographs!

Paint Iowa Beautiful Grants Help Communities With Revitalization

Through Keep Iowa Beautiful's longstanding partnership with Diamond Vogel, the Paint Iowa Beautiful program awards paint grants to local volunteers and organizations for community improvement projects. This furthers Keep Iowa Beautiful's mission and our belief that well-maintained and painted buildings reflect pride in our communities.

Paint Iowa Beautiful grant recipients in Tipton, Iowa, repaired and painted the woodshed at the Old Cedar County Jail and Sherriff's House, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


The volunteers also used the grant from Keep Iowa Beautiful and Diamond Vogel to repaint the trim on the garage building located on the property.

Our friends at Graettinger Community Visioning used a Paint Iowa Beautiful grant from Keep Iowa Beautiful and Diamond Vogel to make much-needed renovations to the Graettinger Public Library.


Volunteers painted the office, conference room, and public bathroom, which partnered well with a recent grant the group received to update flooring in some of those areas.

Learn More

Hometown Pride: News and Updates

Keep Iowa Beautiful's Hometown Pride program brings coaches, community members and volunteers together to drive positive change in Iowa’s hometowns. Check out some of the great work happening in our Hometown Pride Communities!

Maquoketa Hometown Pride Holds Fifth Annual Maqtoberfest Event


Our Hometown Pride contingent in Maquoketa held their annual Maqtoberfest, a street festival, this month and enjoyed a record attendance of an estimated 700-800 people. They were able to get the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile on site for the event!



They were also awarded the IAC Art Project Grant for Organizations, for the full amount requested, for their “Music on The Green” project application. The grant supported the Summer Concert Series which offers a mix of styles in country, blues, Latin and rock musicians, plus the musical entertainment during Maqtoberfest, which brings community members in Maquoketa together.


Gilmore City Hometown Pride Completes New Plaza


The Gilmore City Hometown Pride Committee recently completed its outdoor plaza project in Sunset Park!


The plaza area will serve as a community space for outdoor performances and presentations in the park.

Luxemburg Hometown Pride Installs Donation Box


A public donation box has been created for our Hometown Pride contingent in Luxemburg, Iowa.


Donations left in the box will help fund the construction of a trail in Luxemburg as well as future Hometown Pride events.

Social Media Submissions

Keep Iowa Beautiful wants to share your community’s good news!

Are you proud of a completed project in your town? Do you want to show off a new mural in your downtown? Did you host a fun, exciting event for your community? We want to know about it!


Click on the button below to share short descriptions of events, projects, or news from your town! You can include pictures and captions as well. Keep Iowa Beautiful will share your post on our social media!

Submit Your Stories

You Can Stop Litter!

You can help reduce litter in Iowa! 

 

When you see litter happening on Iowa’s roadways, call 1-888-NOLITTR (1-888-665-4887) to report littering from a vehicle.  

 

Please provide as much detail about the incident as possible: 

  • License plate number  
  • Time and specific location (street & city) 
  • What was thrown from the vehicle 
  • A vehicle description (color, make and model) 

 

Reported offenders will receive a warning letter from Keep Iowa Beautiful drawing attention to their offense. This sends the message that people, like you, are watching. 

Your Support Matters!


Consider supporting Keep Iowa Beautiful to help us continue our work improving Iowa communities! Remember: donations to Keep Iowa Beautiful are tax deductible! 


Donations can be made online or checks can be mailed to our office: 

            Keep Iowa Beautiful

            2910 Westown Pkwy. Suite 302

            West Des Moines, IA 50266


Donate
KEEP IOWA BEAUTIFUL
2910 Westown Parkway, Suite 302 | West Des Moines, IA 50266
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram