
Courage must come from the soul within
…
You were born with all that the great have had,
With your equipment they all began,
Get hold of yourself and say: "I can." Edgar A. Guest
In celebration of Iowa’s George Washington Carver Day, this poster competition invites all Iowa State students to create a poster celebrating the lasting impact and innovative legacy —in science, discoveries, invention, art, or education— of George Washington Carver. The competition draws inspiration from Carver’s favorite poem, “Equipment” by Edgar A. Guest, which reminds readers that all one needs is oneself to succeed.
George Washington Carver’s life and legacy live on as a potent symbol of courage, perseverance and thirst for knowledge. Born into slavery in Missouri circa 1864, he became Iowa State’s first Black student, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in plant science. After graduation, he became Iowa State’s first Black faculty member. Carver left Iowa for the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he spent the rest of his life applying his innovative genius to agriculture. He became world-renowned for creating hundreds of products made from peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans and other crops.
In partnership with the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the 2025 George Washington Carver Day will also celebrate the work and research of Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson, another historic Iowa State scientist and friend of Dr. Carver. Dr. Patterson was the fourth Black graduate of Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He served as the third president of Tuskegee Institute, where he founded that school’s veterinary medicine school and the aviation program that became the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II fame. He is the founder of the United Negro College Fund and remains the only veterinarian to receive the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Entrants may opt to focus on the lasting legacy of either Carver’s or Patterson’s on the world we live in.
The “I Can” Challenge
Open to all Iowa State students. Students may submit as an individual or as a team. Please register by December 27, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. to receive updates and additional information.
Registration for this event is now closed! Registered participants can submit posters no later than Tuesday, January 21 at 11:59 p.m.
Cash Prizes Awarded
$750 - Carver Best-In-Show: Awarded to the posters that best highlight the work and impact of George Washington Carver.
$750 - Patterson Best-In-Show: Awarded to the posters that best highlight the work and impact of Frederick Douglass Patterson.
$500 - Innovation Inspiration: Awarded to a poster that uses a creative format to tell the story of a selected scientist.
Timeline
Monday, December 2 – competition launches
Friday, December 27 – deadline for registration (Qualtrics form)
Tuesday, January 21 – deadline for submissions (Qualtrics form)
Tuesday, January 28 – prize selection
Monday, February 3 – Poster Exhibition, George Washington Carver Day
Submission Requirements
- Submissions are due on January 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
- Submissions will be turned in for judging digitally. The file size must not exceed 700x1000 pixels at 72 dpi.
- If entrants wish to assemble their posters physically rather than digitally, they may submit a photo of the assembled poster instead of the file.
- Judges may request a packaged file of digital assemblies.
- Submissions will be printed for display at the 2025 George Washington Carver Day, February 3, 2025. Students are not required to be present.
All materials must be capable of being printed (i.e. no moving parts).
Entrants will also submit a brief paragraph describing the process they went through to research and assemble the poster, including any sources for photos or references used. There is no minimum or maximum length for this paragraph.
Questions? Email Madelyn Ostendorf at madelyno@iastate.edu.