2025 Arbor Day Creative Writing Contest Winners Selected

Eli Cailles of Howard, Dominic Knebel of Langford, and Sybella Peterson of Hitchcock have been named the winning authors selected from 589 entries in the 2025 Arbor Day Creative Writing Contest. Sponsored by South Dakota’s conservation districts and the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources – Division of Resource Conservation & Forestry, the contest invites fifth and sixth-grade students to write about the importance of Arbor Day and tree planting in South Dakota.

As the first-place winner, Cailles receives a plaque and $125 in cash. His school, Howard School, will also receive $150 to use toward supplies or equipment. Knebel, the second-place winner, receives a plaque and $100, and Peterson receives a plaque and $75 for her third-place entry. All three students will present their creative writings and receive their awards during Arbor Day celebrations in their local communities.

All students who entered the contest will receive a packet of tree seeds, courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources – Division of Resource Conservation & Forestry.

South Dakota observes Arbor Day on the last Friday in April; in 2024, this fell on April 25. Arbor Day originated in 1872 when Nebraska newspaper publisher J. Sterling Morton proposed the holiday. More than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on that first Arbor Day.

The Arbor Day Creative Writing Contest has been held in South Dakota for 48 years.

Read the Winning Arbor Day Writings

First Place - Eli Cailles of Miner Conservation District

     Drop, drop, drop. These are the sounds of my Grandma’s tears hitting the floor. I’ll explain how it happened in this story of my Grandma and I planting a tree I had given to her.

     I walked into the garage with a smile on my face. I was holding a tree behind my back. I walked down the steps and my Grandma spotted me. She asked, “What’s going on?” I decided to show her what I was holding. I pulled the tree out from behind my back.

      When she saw what I had, she was confused for a second until I said I was giving it to her. She hugged me and grabbed a shovel so we could plant the tree together. We headed outside and dug and hole that we then put the tree in. It was a perfect day to plant a tree, hot and sunny, so we did.

     We went back inside and she hugged me again. One of our farm’s rules is if a tree goes down, plant two more. Another reason I did this is because of the derecho that knocked down my Grandma’s tree. She already planted the first one so I helped plant the other.

     Inside the garage, she starts crying happy tears. The fallen tree meant a lot to her so I had to get her another. That is why I got my Grandma a tree to stick to our farm’s rule and make her less sad about losing a tree.

 Second Place - Dominic Knebel of Marshall Conservation District

I’m Woody

     I’m the Knebel family apple tree. Planted seven years ago on Arbor Day, I stand tall, watching over the Knebel Family Homestead. My name is Woody. I have been here through rain or shine. I love to watch my red apples falling all around me. I watch them get eaten by deer every year.

     One year I got hit by LeRon Knebel’s John Deere 4450. That tractor knocked about half of my branches off. Just about killed me. But, I’m still here today watching over the Knebel Family Homestead.

     I was planted for shelter, food, and help to all living things. I was also planted as an Arbor Day project when the Knebels planted a whole shelter belt. John Knebel was the person who planted most of the shelterbelt. The Knebels had so much fun when they planted me and my other tree friends.

     So, I’m encouraging you humans to get out and make some Arbor Day memories.

 Third Place - Sybella Peterson of Spink Conservation District

     Brown bark, green leaves. Draping branches gently hovering, flying, colliding with the slight morning breeze. Tiny green teardrops falling to the ground. Whenever the winter months come around in the winter, it becomes yellow and bare, but when flowers sprout out, leaves explode on branches everywhere! Can you guess what it is? Can you? We will see! It’s my weeping willow tree! Climbing up, climbing down, branches nearly touch the ground. Its bark doesn’t hold just wood, but memories of my friends, family and childhood! Such a shady spot in the summertime, too! I can’t imagine a better place, can you? The morning dew, shimmering like little balls of light, oh, how beautiful, oh what a pretty sight! The weeping willow tree, my weeping willow tree!