Winning posters in the Helix Water District 2026 Student Poster Contest from (L to R): Brooklyn Gray, Evie Makin, and Lilly Mallory. Photo: Helix Water District2026 Student Poster Contest Winners Named by Helix Water District
Helix Water District honored ten local student artists from kindergarten up through eighth grade for their winning entries in the District’s 2026 Student Poster Contest. The students were recognized by the Helix Water District board of directors in an awards ceremony at its May board meeting.
Each year, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, one of Helix’s wholesale water providers, holds a regional poster contest to raise students’ awareness of water. Students are asked to create a design of their choice showcasing the theme “Being Water Wise Is.”
Helix Water District promotes the contest to all schools within its service area.
The following student artists took top honors for 2026.
First Place, K-2 Division: Evie Makin, Second Grade, La Mesa Dale Elementary School, La Mesa. Photo: Helix Water District
Grades K – 2 Category
First Place: Evie Makin, Second Grade, La Mesa Dale Elementary School, La Mesa
First place in the Grade 3-4 category: Heather Medina, Highlands Elementary School. Photo: Helix Water DIstrict
Grades 3 – 4 Category
First Place: Heather Medina, Fourth Grade, Highlands Elementary School, La Mesa
Grades 3 and 4 winners: Second Place: Zoey Castillo, Highlands Elementary School in La Mesa; Third Place: Joy-Elise Tavarez, Northmont Elementary School, La Mesa; and Honorable Mention: Hayley Argyle, Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon. Photo: Helix Water District
Second Place: Zoey Castillo, Fourth Grade, Highlands Elementary School, La Mesa
Third Place: Joy-Elise Tavarez, Fourth Grade at Northmont Elementary School, La Mesa
Honorable Mention: Hayley Argyle, Fourth Grade at Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon
Fifth grade winners: First Place: Lilly Mallory, Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon; Second Place: Brooklynn Harr, Fletcher Hills Elementary School, El Cajon; Third Place: Natalie Trillas, Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon. Photo: Helix Water District
Grade 5 Category
First Place: Lilly Mallory, Fifth Grade at Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon
Second Place: Brooklynn Harr, Fifth Grade, Fletcher Hills Elementary School, El Cajon
Third Place: Natalie Trillas, Fifth Grade, Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon
Grades 6-8 Winners: First Place: Brooklyn Gray, Seventh Grade, Learning Choice Academy, La Mesa; and Honorable Mention: Mikaela Moore, Fifth Grade, Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon. Photo: Helix Water District
Grades 6 – 8 Category
First Place: Brooklyn Gray, Seventh Grade, Learning Choice Academy, La Mesa
Honorable Mention: Mikaela Moore, Fifth Grade, Flying Hills School of the Arts, El Cajon
Helix Students On a Seven-Year Winning Streak
The Helix Water District now forwards the winning posters to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to be considered for inclusion in its 2027 “Being Water Wise Is” calendar.
Helix Water District winners have been selected for the Metropolitan calendar every year since 2020. Eighth grade student Emma Phillips of Christ Lutheran School was selected for the 2026 calendar. Her artwork appears on the August 2026 page.
Helix Charter High School ninth-grade student Catalina Jones’ artwork has been selected for the Metropolitan calendar twice. Her artwork appeared in the 2024 calendar and the 2023 calendar.
Other winning students include Charlotte Chatham (2025), Cameryn Kovar (2024), Clare Brandt (2023), Lucas Regimbal (2022), Jose Sabedra and Mina Saeed (2021), and Valeria Ramirez (2020).
The 2026 winning posters are posted on the district’s website at www.hwd.com and Facebook page.
