- Georgia History Festival

The Rule of Law in Georgia’s History

Through the Georgia Day art contests, students have the opportunity to investigate the role that an independent judiciary has historically played at the local, state, and federal levels. Using a variety of artistic media, students will illustrate lawmakers, lawbreakers, judges, and interesting and important court cases throughout Georgia’s history.

Students are encouraged to use their creativity to demonstrate their knowledge of the theme through art. Some ideas to consider:

Highlight important attorneys, judges, or politicians that impacted the judiciary throughout the history of Georgia (ex. Governors; Georgia’s signers of the Constitution; Leah Ward Sears; Griffin Bell; Civil Rights leaders who influenced policy changes; etc.).
Highlight important court cases (ex. Worcester v. Georgia, Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, Leo M. Frank v. The State of Georgia, The United States v. Schooner Wanderer and Cargo, etc.).
Highlight important people or events from or in Georgia who shaped the judiciary or challenged the public’s perception of the law (ex. James Oglethorpe; Governor John M. Slayton; Primus King; Civil Rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Lonnie King, Julian Bond, and John Lewis; Helen Mankin; Grace Towns Hamilton; Charlayne Hunter Gault; local participants in Civil Rights activities such as sit-ins and wade-ins; etc.).

Classes are invited to create a bulletin board or classroom door telling the story of an important or influential element of the judiciary in Georgia. The contest is open to any public, private, parochial, or home school. One submission per school will be accepted.

For additional information, ideas, and inspiration, refer to the digital resources available at https://georgiahistoryfestival.org/educators/.

Georgia Day Classroom Contest Guidelines

The Georgia Day Classroom Contest is now open! Enter here.

Guidelines for Creation:

The contest is open to any public, private, parochial, or home school. One submission per school will be accepted.

The created piece should:

Represent student work, guided by teachers.
Be contained to a standard-size classroom bulletin board or door; maximum size of 7 ft x 3 ft.
Be an original design reflecting the theme, The Rule of Law in Georgia’s History.

Guidelines for Submission:

Artwork must be submitted via the GHS website:
- With up to three (3) high-resolution images (at least 300 dpi)
- With one (1) image to include the class/students who created the piece.
- As horizontal (landscape) orientation in .jpg or .png format.
- With a title and artist statement as to why the group chose the specific person, event, etc.
- By submitting images to GHS, the submitter transfers the right to use or reproduce images of banners and other works of art, in part or in full, including images with people, in GHS publications, and on all GHS social media platforms.

Guidelines for Judging:

Student art will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Integration of the Georgia History Festival theme
Creativity of interpretation
Visual impact

For the classroom contest, first, second, and third place winners will be selected in elementary and middle school categories.

Art contest winners will be announced via social media on Georgia Day, February 12, 2026.

All winners will receive a Certificate of Appreciation for their artwork and will be recognized in GHS publications and on social media.

The first-place winner of the classroom contest will receive a trophy.

Related Educator Resources

The Georgia Historical Society has created a collection of classroom resources designed to enhance student understanding of the history and role of an independent judiciary in Georgia and America from the founding to today.

The resources include:

A Nation of Laws: Courts and the Foundation of Freedom Classroom Resource Bundle

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