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After being selected as the overall winner of the 2025 Climate Hope Art Contest organized by the United Church of Christ (UCC), 11-year-old Natalie Slade from Bethlehem UCC in Evansville, Indiana, traveled to Washington, D.C., accompanied by her mother Emily and staff from the UCC National Ministries. The group visited Capitol Hill and met with several congressional offices.
Slade’s artwork was chosen from entries submitted by 140 churches representing 33 states across the country. In total, 541 young artists participated in the contest, with Pennsylvania contributing entries from the highest number of zip codes. Her winning piece will serve as the official logo for the UCC's Climate Hope campaign in 2025.
“I really love to draw, and this was a good way to showcase my artistic abilities,” said Slade. The contest theme for this year was “Planting Seeds of Hope.” Participants were instructed to create art that symbolized this concept.
The Rev. Brooks Berndt, Minister for Environmental Justice at UCC, commented on how sharing Slade’s artwork has positively affected congregations: “Natalie’s art is a seed of hope in itself. It lifts up people’s spirits. It touches them and motivates them to plant their own seeds of hope,” Berndt said.
As part of her award, Slade and her mother joined Susan Mueller, Climate Hope Campaign Organizer, on a visit to Capitol Hill where they had a half-hour meeting with Senator Todd Young of Indiana. Mueller reflected on their visit: “[Natalie] shared her art, a Bible with a seed of hope blossoming into the rainbow of life, with Senator Young and congressional staff, reminding them of our call to care for creation,” Mueller said. “It was a joy to see her speak with such grace, and to watch our voices of hope reach the halls of power.”
Slade encouraged other children her age to begin caring for the environment through small actions such as recycling or picking up litter when they see it. “We only have one Earth, and we need to take care of it for future generations to come,” she said.
