Expo ‘74 art and writing contest for high schoolers celebrates golden anniversary

There’s less than a month to finish entries for a writing and art contest focused on Expo ’74.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Spokane hosting the world’s fair, The Spokesman-Review in partnership with Spokane Public Schools and Expo 50 is holding a writing and art contest for high school students. Expo 50 is a group of organizations planning activities surrounding the anniversary.

Work can be nonfiction or fiction, poetry or other forms of writing using the theme of Expo ’74. Art can be painted, drawn or created using other flat mediums.

Students’ work could focus on the environmental theme, show the effects the fair had on the city, research the importance of Spokane Falls to Indigenous peoples, profile fair guests or the people who made it happen, or choose any other topic related to Expo ’74.

Expo ’74, which was held in what is today Riverfront Park, was the first environmentally themed world’s fair and was hosted by what was at the time the smallest city to ever hold a world’s fair.

Although the newspaper is partnering with Spokane Public Schools, the contest is open to anyone in grades 9-12 from the newspaper circulation area in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Writing must be original and created in 2024, and no more than 1,000 words.

Winning entries will be published in The Spokesman-Review, and writing winners may be asked to read at an Expo anniversary event.

Work must be submitted to spokesman.com/expo-contest by March 29. Art entries should be scanned or photographed.

Submissions must include the writer’s or artist’s name, school, grade, home address and phone number.