DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recognized 16 Iowa students whose artwork was selected for inclusion in the 2025-2026 Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar during a ceremony at the 2025 Iowa State Fair.
Choose Iowa is the state’s signature brand for Iowa grown, made and raised food, beverages and ag products. The annual Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar contest encourages Iowa students to create artwork that highlights the importance and productivity of Iowa agriculture. Students 18 years or younger are eligible to enter the annual contest and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received 289 submissions from communities across the state.
“Iowa’s incredible agricultural story is brought to life through the creativity and imagination of our young artists in the Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar Contest,” said Secretary Naig. “This fun annual calendar highlights the strong bond between our state’s youth and the Iowa-grown, made, and raised food, beverages and agricultural products that Iowans proudly produce and enjoy every day.”
This year’s selected student-artists, listed alphabetically by city, include:
Amelia Costello, Bennett, IA; Lucy Costello, Bennett, IA; Vyom Chandra Udutha, Bettendorf, IA; Rylan Recknor, Britt, IA; Raymond Sandoval, Centerville, IA; Harper Van Ersvelde, Grinnell, IA; Lilly Woods, New Virginia, IA; Jase Blackford, Osceola, IA; Dakoda Silence, Rhodes, IA; Realm Kenny, Shenandoah, IA; Eva Garcia, St. Anthony, IA; Madison Edwards, St. Charles, IA; Caden Krough, State Center, IA; Cole Wright, State Center, IA; Logan Rausch, Van Horne, IA; and Brooke Webber, West Branch, IA.
Free Choose Iowa Coloring Calendars will be available for fairgoers at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s booths in the Agriculture Building and Varied Industries Building while supplies last. A digital version of the calendar is available on the Choose Iowa website.
High quality photos of the recipients are available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Flickr page at: flickr.com/photos/iowaagriculture/albums.
Learn more about Choose Iowa at ChooseIowa.com.