Top Prizes Awarded to Students in Pennsylvania American Water's "Protect Our Watersheds" Art Contest

Pennsylvania American Water today announced the winners of its 19^th Annual "Protect Our Watersheds" art contest, with a sixth-grade student from Allegheny County scoring top honors. The company received nearly 200 entries from fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders across the Commonwealth.

Sixth grader Ishi Gupta of South Fayette Middle School earned the grand prize for her artwork, which will be featured on the cover of Pennsylvania American Water's first-ever "Protect Our Watersheds" wall calendar. The calendars will be printed and distributed across the Commonwealth later this year.

"With increasing emphasis on environmental education in schools, we are seeing more students take an active role in watershed preservation and protection," said Pennsylvania American Water President Mike Doran. "Activities like our art contest help to remind us that we all have a part in protecting our water sources."

Gupta's artwork earned first prize among western Pennsylvania entries, followed by Clare Johnson, a sixth-grade student from Thomas Jefferson Middle School (Allegheny County), in second place. Sixth grader Lizzie O'toole McKenna, also of Thomas Jefferson Middle School, finished third.

In eastern Pennsylvania, the first-place winner is Lia Limongelli, a sixth-grade student from Holy Rosary School (Luzerne County), with second place going to fourth-grader Veronica Griffith from Berks County, and fifth-grader Bianca Tolorico from St. Mary Mt. Carmel School (Lackawanna County) earning third place. The winning students will receive Barnes & Noble gift cards.

In addition, six runners-up have been selected and will also have their artwork featured in the calendar. They are Arjun Kairi, a fourth-grader at Mt. Lebanon Montessori School (Allegheny County), Sydney Ogoreuc, a sixth-grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (Allegheny County), Morgan Riddle, a sixth-grader from Southmoreland Middle School (Fayette County), Alice Hollenbach, a fifth-grader from Meadowbrook Christian School (Union County), Lillian Michael, a fourth-grader from Fairview Elementary (Luzerne County), and Eileen Wang, sixth-grader from Harrisburg Academy (Cumberland County).

Pennsylvania American Water's contest requires that the students accompany their artwork with a short description of how watershed protection affects them personally.

Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.4 million people. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.