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The Rescue One
AED Tree of Life

Art Contest & Scholarship

THEME: “The Tree of Life: Every Beat Matters”

CALLING ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ARTISTS!

Join the AED Tree of Life Art Contest, hosted by Rescue One Training for Life, Inc., and show the world how AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) help protect hearts and communities.

ENTRY FORM  | CONTEST RULES | Download Sharable Flyer

Prizes

  • Grand Prize: $2,500 Scholarship
  • Runners-Up: Art supply gift cards, museum passes, mentorship
  • Online and in-person gallery features for selected artwork

Who can enter?

  • Montgomery County, MD (MCPS) High School Students

(grades 9–12)

  • Must be enrolled in an accredited school
  • FREE to enter!

DEADLINE: December 31, 2026

Winners Announced: January 31, 2027

Exhibit & Awards Ceremony:
Local school or Rescue One headquarters

 

Submission Guidelines

  • Create your own interpretation of a Tree of Life. Your artwork should feature a complete tree, with its leaves symbolizing lives saved through preparedness, CPR, AED use, or emergency action.
  • The winning artwork will become a 7′ x 7′ mural celebrating lives saved throughout our community. Rescue One will add the date and location of individual saves to the leaves over time, so please design the leaves with enough open, uncluttered space for this information to be added while remaining part of the overall artwork.
  • Be creative! There is no required style, color palette, type of tree, leaf shape, or artistic medium. We encourage each artist to bring their own vision and interpretation to the Tree of Life.
  • Accepted formats:
    • Physical artwork: Maximum size 12″ x 12″. A digital file of the artwork should be at least 1800 px x 1800 px. The winning artwork will ultimately be digitally reproduced at approximately 7′ x 7′.
    • Digital artwork: JPG, PNG, or PDF; maximum file size 100 MB.
  • Include a short artist statement describing your inspiration and interpretation of the Tree of Life.

Use of Artwork – Tree of Life Wall Installation

Artwork submitted to the Rescue One AED Tree of Life Art Contest & Scholarship will help bring to life a meaningful community installation at Rescue One’s headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The winning artwork will be enlarged and transformed into a 7′ x 7′ Tree of Life mural celebrating lives saved through emergency preparedness, CPR, AED use, and lifesaving action throughout our region.

But the Tree of Life will not be a static piece of art. It will become a living monument that grows over time.

As Rescue One learns of lives saved, the date and location of each save will be added to individual leaves on the Tree of Life. For this reason, artists are asked to design their leaves with enough open, uncluttered space to accommodate a short date and location while still allowing complete creative freedom in the overall design, colors, style, composition, and symbolism of the tree.

  • Symbolism: The leaves of the Tree of Life will represent individual lives saved through CPR, AED use, emergency preparedness, and the actions of people who were ready to respond when it mattered most.
  • A Living Installation: As additional lives are saved throughout the region, dates and locations will continue to be added to the leaves, allowing the Tree of Life to grow into an ongoing visual record of lifesaving impact.
  • Community Impact: The completed mural will bring together art, education, emergency preparedness, and lifesaving technology to demonstrate the very real difference that access to AEDs and trained responders can make.
  • Recognition: The winning and featured artwork may also be shared through Rescue One’s community outreach, awareness campaigns, educational materials, and other communications celebrating the Tree of Life initiative.

By contributing artwork, students have the opportunity to help create something that extends far beyond the contest itself—a lasting community installation honoring lives saved and the people, training, and technology that made those saves possible.

Every leaf tells a story. Every beat matters.

Submit Your Entry for The Tree of Life Art Competition & Scholarship 2026-27

Official Rules & Terms – Rescue One AED “Tree of Life” Art Contest & Scholarship

1. Eligibility

  • Open only to high school students in grades 9–12 who are currently enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland.

  • Must be a legal U.S. resident at time of entry.

  • If under 18 years old, entrant must have signed consent from a parent or legal guardian.

  • Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of Rescue One Training for Life, Inc. (“Sponsor”), as well as contest judges, are not eligible to participate.

2. Entry Requirements

  • Theme: “The Tree of Life: Every Beat Matters”

  • Original artwork only. No plagiarized or previously published works.

  • Create your own interpretation of a Tree of Life. Your artwork should feature a complete tree, with its leaves symbolizing lives saved through preparedness, CPR, AED use, or emergency action. Leaves should have areas where location, time and dates can be added.

  • Accepted formats:

    • Physical: Max physcial size 12” x 12” (Digital file should be at least 1800 px x 1800 px. The artwork will be digitally projected at final size of 7’ x 7’)

    • Digital: JPG, PNG, or PDF, maximum file size 100 MB.

  • Submissions must include:

    • Completed entry form

    • Artist’s statement/brief description

    • Contact information (name, school, age, email, phone)

    • Signed permission slip if under 18

  • No entry fee.

  • Deadline: All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on December 31, 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.

3. Original Work & Use of AI

  • Entries must be the sole, original work of the entrant.

  • AI-generated works are permitted only if disclosed in the artist’s statement/description above, and the entrant must describe their creative process.

4. Judging

Entries will be judged on:

  • Originality

  • Technical skill

  • Interpretation of theme

  • Emotional impact

Judging panel includes representatives from Rescue One and local art educators. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.

5. Prizes

  • Grand Prize: $2,500 scholarship, plus physical & online gallery features.

  • Runners-up: Art supply gift cards, museum passes, mentorship, and online gallery feature.

  • Honorable Mentions: Online gallery or website feature.
    Prizes are non-transferable and may not be substituted except at Sponsor’s discretion.

Scholarship Disbursement: Scholarships will be paid directly to the winner’s educational institution for tuition or related expenses.

6. Rights & Permissions

By entering, participants grant Rescue One a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license to:

  • Display, reproduce, publish, and distribute the submitted artwork in any media for educational, promotional, or awareness purposes, with credit to the artist.

  • Use the entrant’s name, school, and city in promotional materials without additional compensation (except where prohibited by law).

7. Privacy

Personal information collected will be used only for contest administration and promotion. Information will not be sold or shared with third parties unrelated to contest operations.

8. Limitation of Liability

By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Rescue One, its officers, employees, volunteers, and affiliates from any and all liability for injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising from participation in the contest or acceptance/use of any prize.

9. Governing Law

This contest is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland and the United States. Any disputes will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Maryland.

10. Sponsor

Rescue One Training for Life, Inc.