About the Contest
Each year, ACEE invites Arizona students in grades K–12 to create original artwork illustrating economic and personal finance concepts. Selected entries are featured in ACEE’s annual Economic Concepts Calendar and help promote economic and financial literacy across Arizona.
The next contest will open in August 2026. Entries submitted through March 2027 will be considered for inclusion in the 2028 Economic Concepts Calendar. Contest rules, submission instructions, and important deadlines will be posted when the contest opens.
Rules
The next contest opens in August 2026. The rules below are provided for reference and are based on the most recent contest. Updated submission instructions, deadlines, and requirements for the 2028 Economic Concepts Calendar will be posted when the contest launches.
To qualify for judging, entries must meet the following criteria.
- Open to Arizona students in grades K–12; one entry per student.
- Artwork must be horizontal, 11″ × 8.5″.
- Artwork must:
- Be original
- Illustrate an economic concept
- Include a title at the top that names the concept – 1″ letters minimum
- Student name should not be visible in the artwork
- Hand-drawn or digital art will be accepted.
- Submit online (JPEG or PNG, 300 dpi), turn in at any in-person spring ACEE teacher event or mail entries to:
Arizona Council on Economic Education, 16421 N. Tatum Blvd, Ste. 123 Phoenix, AZ 85032 - For mailed entries, lightly tape a 3″ × 5″ card on the back with: student name, grade, teacher name, and school name.
- For physical submissions, please lightly tape a 3 x 5” student information card to the back of each poster including the student’s first and last name, student’s grade level, teacher’s first and last name, and complete school name.
Bad
Bad: Angled, cluttered background, has a shadow on the top right. We can’t use this!
Better
Better: Photo taken straight, but still crooked, uneven edges. Taken with phone camera. It is unlikely this submission would be selected for the Economic Concepts calendar.
Best
Best: Taken with the same phone camera using the free Microsoft Lens app. (other scanning apps work well too!) This is great!
Artwork Tips
Images should:
- Use bold, colorful images that clearly show the economic concept.
- Keep text minimal; do not include definitions.
- Use human characters when possible (avoid animals and licensed characters)
- Avoid dark or heavily shaded backgrounds.
- Digital submissions should avoid shadow and uneven photos – consider a scanning app to capture image.
Awards
Arizona Statewide Competition
- Thirteen statewide winners will be selected and receive cash prizes.
- Teachers of state-winning students will receive recognition.
- Winning submissions will be featured in the 2028 Economic Concepts Calendar.
Examples of Economics Concepts
*Trending Economic Concepts
- Opportunity Cost
- Scarcity
- Trade
- Specialization
- Factors of Production
- Economic Systems
- Goods and Services
- Circular Flow
- Capital Markets
- Shortage
- Unemployment
- Market Equilibrium
- Career Planning
- Postsecondary Education Planning*
- Risk versus Reward
- Identity Protection*
- Math and Personal Finance
- Digital Banking Safety*
- Peer to Peer Payment*
- Income
- Negative and Positive Externalities
- Budget
- Saving and Investing
- Credit
- Interest
- Compound Interest
- Gross Domestic Product
- Tax
- Inflation
- Insurance
- Conservation Economics*
Students Featured in the 2026 Economic Concepts Calendar
| Winner Name & Grade | School Name | Teacher Name |
|---|---|---|
| Riley Derezinski, 4th | Sky Crossing Elementary | Kim Cox |
| Kayleen Tanner, 6th | Chaparral Christian Community School | Eric Schmitz |
| Swadhya Barve, 6th | Arizona College Prep Middle School | Jennifer Bogue |
| Anoushka Chanda, 6th | Fireside Elementary | Deanna Kalin |
| Jodaiah Bendana, 7th | Amberlea Elementary School | Christy Paul |
| Evelyn Bembry, 7th | Alice Vail Middle School | Cinnamon Conrad |
| Danyella Estrada, 7th | Alice Vail Middle School | Cinnamon Conrad |
| Juliet McRae, 8th | Alice Vail Middle School | Cinnamon Conrad |
| Angela Michell Delgado, 11th | Harvest Preparatory Academy – Yuma | Dr. Mark Joel Q. Morales |
| Kert Dela Cruz, 11th | Harvest Preparatory Academy – Yuma | Dr. Mark Joel Q. Morales |
| Nabil Naylea Chavez Munoz, 12th | Harvest Preparatory Academy – Yuma | Dr. Mark Joel Q. Morales |
| Olivia Marsh, 12th | Boulder Creek High School | Janay Perone |
| Emery Lee, 12th | Mountain View High School | Vicki Schomaker |
