Carter County’s Drop Collaborative is seeking up and coming artists for a future project, and they are hosting a contest in order to do it.

Pattie Meyer, head of the Collaborative, said the organization is hosting a coloring book contest for teenagers in 10th through 12th grade.

As part of the contest, participants must submit their designs for one possible page of a coloring book. A panel of board members will decide the winner, who will have the honor of designing the entire coloring book. They will then distribute the coloring book (crayons included) to children in need throughout the county.

“They will receive full credit,” Meyer said. “We will run a photo of them and a short paragraph about themselves.”

She said the contest came from an idea she had about the Collaborative’s “Drop by the Farm” days, in which children take field trips to different parts of the county, including the Collaborative’s farm.

“Children love to color,” Meyer said. “And there are so many high school kids with great talents, and many of them do great illustrations. This would give a high school student the ability to showcase their work.”

The Drop Collaborative has owned the farm on 500 Dry Hollow Road since 2015, when Meyer’s mother inherited the property from her sister.

“[My mother’s] brother-in-law had an idea,” Meyer said.

They came up with an organization with three primary goals: teach farming to young people, donate the product to the community and mentor children in farming and community service.

Meyer said the two of them entrusted the organization to her, and she said she got to work immediately, saying her mother was getting older with age.

“I wanted my mother to see it happen,” Meyer said.

While her mother’s side of the family has lived in East Tennessee for many years, her father’s side of the family comes from up north. Meyer herself currently lives in Philadelphia.

“I am a hybrid,” she said. “My mother’s side has deep roots here. I have a deep love for the area, and I see a lot of potential here.”

Going into greater detail, she said she hopes organizations like the Collaborative can help dispel negative myths and stereotypes about the Appalachia region.

“There is a significant amount of talent and ingenuity here,” she said. “We can dispel these myths by putting people to action.”

Those interested in sending in an application to the coloring book contest can do so by going to their website at https://www.dropcollaborative.com/coloringbook and following the instructions. Submissions are due by Sunday, March 31.

Those with further questions can reach out to the organization via e-mail on the website or by calling Meyer at 646-241-2798.

“We are always open to suggestions and ideas,” Meyer said of the Collaborative. “We are also looking for sponsors to help us publish these coloring books.”