Kids: Draw the Zilker holiday tree

Pandemic or no pandemic, traditions are important, and one enduring tradition is the annual Zilker Holiday Tree Art Contest, hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department. As in years past, Austinites between the ages of 5 and 10 are invited to enter their original drawings of the Zilker Holiday Tree. The young artists may use crayons, watercolors, ink, colored paper, pastels or paint, and the winners from each age category will get to help light the holiday tree. The Zilker holiday tree is, of course, not just any old tree: at 155 feet tall it’s festooned with 3,309 lights. Check out prize-winning renditions of the tree from years past; it’s pretty wonderful to see the many ways kids’ imaginations have captured the tree. Submit your entry online until Nov. 1. Make sure you read the rules carefully before submitting artwork.