First-grader takes first prize in Public Works Department contest

A first-grader from Balboa Elementary school has won the Public Works Department’s first craft competition where contestants made art projects out of reused goods.

On Thursday, Sophia Zadoorian was announced as the winner of the inaugural Upcycled Holiday Craft Contest.

Her submission was a Christmas decoration made from recycled materials. The finished product was a paper ornament shaped like an angel that could hang from a Christmas tree.

The rules stipulated that entries had to be made up of 90% reused materials like plastic bottles, candy wrappers and bottle caps.

Finished products were then posted on social media, where participants had to tag the Public Works Department.

Zadoorian’s prize was a $25 gift card to Target, and she had her picture posted on the Glendale Public Works Department’s Twitter account.

City spokesman Tom Lorenz said the first-of-its-kind contest had two purposes.

“One was to educate the public on recycling, an understanding that one’s trash is another’s treasure,” he said. “The other is about creating decorations without having to spend an extraordinary amount of money.”

Lorenz said the Public Works Department will hold similar craft contests in the future to educate the community about the importance of recycling.

--

Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian