Student Artists Win California Transportation Plan Art Contest

From Henry Ford's Model T, to the Wright brothers' first airplane, to the spaceship, the 20th Century changed forever the meaning of mobility. Today, at the dawn of a new century, we travel in aircraft, cars, high-speed trains, buses, cruise ships and bicycles. We ship equipment, food, and materials anywhere in the world. We are able to order almost anything on the Internet and have it delivered to our doorstep the following day. We orbit the earth in space shuttles and launch satellites for communications and supersonic defense. We marvel at our technological achievements and envision that the 21st Century will bring faster, more efficient, environmentally conscious and safer ways to move goods, people and information.

To capture this vision, the California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning, in conjunction with Caltrans Adopt-A-School Program and the California Transportation Foundation, sponsored a statewide art contest to select the cover for the California Transportation Plan (CTP). The contest's theme was "California's Transportation System of the Future." Artwork was judged for its creative concept of California's future transportation system in the year 2025. All elementary, middle, and high schools, public and private, in California were invited to participate.

There were three categories -elementary, middle and high school students, and a winner was chosen from each category. In addition, a Grand Prize Winner was selected. The winners were selected from more than 2,600 entries. The Grand Prize winner received a $500 scholarship, a certificate and a framed reproduction of his/her artwork. In addition the artwork will be featured on the cover of the CTP. Each First Place winner received a $250 scholarship, a certificate and a framed reproduction of their artwork. Their artwork will enhance and add interest to the CTP. The selected winners are:

The following Caltrans employees volunteered their time, expertise, and enthusiasm to select the CTP Art Contest winners:

• Sandy Fox, Adopt-A-School Program
  
• Karen Brewster, Graphic Services Section, External Affairs
  
• Stephen A. Miller, Graphic Services Section, External Affairs
  
• Janis DeVerter, External Affairs
  
• Lori Piccone, Graphic Designer, District 4
  
• Jon Hirtz,Audio/Visual Communications Unit, External Affairs
  
• Heinz Herkeroth, California Transportation Foundation

Special Recognition also goes to:

• The California Transportation Foundation for their generous support of this contest in providing the scholarship funds.
  Teresa Ishikawa, Kelly Hassenplug and Lisa Martin who shared their knowledge and supported the development of the art contest.
  
• Susan Dona who conceived the idea of having an art contest to encourage our youth to use their imagination and ingenuity in creating the vision of our future transportation system.
  
• Roxanne Henriquez, CTP Art Contest Coordinator, who took the art contest from concept to reality by spending many hours coordinating, with the unending support, enthusiasm and assistance of Julie Love, the solicitation of entries, recruiting judges, and all the infinite details that went with this first CTP art contest.

Grand Prize Winner
Oleg G. Mikhailik
Villa Park High School
Villa Park, California