When the Ventura County Transportation Commission’s (VCTC) award-winning Teen Council announced its one-of-a-kind art contest for Ventura County students, it expected to receive impressive entries.
They were so good, in fact, the grand-prize artwork will begin appearing on the side of VISTA buses in the near future. VCTC’s Teen Council announced the six grand-prize winners for its countywide art contest at the VCTC meeting on Friday in Camarillo. A total of 22 honorable mentions were also recognized.
Approximately 120 submissions were received and reviewed by the Teen Council, which then selected the following grand-prize winners:
- James H., grade 3, Katherine Elementary, Simi Valley
- Iris S., grade 5, San Antonio Elementary, Ojai
- Jacob E., grade 5, Madroña Elementary, Thousand Oaks
- Cody B., grade 7, Fillmore Middle School, Fillmore
- Venice T., grade 11, Channel Islands High School, Oxnard
- Melissa P., grade 12, Buena High School, Ventura
“We could not be happier with the creativity and quality of the artwork submitted for this exciting art contest,” noted VCTC Executive Director Darren Kettle. “We expected great work, but ‘wow.’ This contest was conceptualized, planned, and executed by the Teen Council, and we are thrilled it found such a unique and engaging way to get youth discussing public transportation and its benefits to Ventura County.”
Local K-12 students were invited to submit artwork depicting either “What is your town known for?” or “What would you like your town to be known for?” as well as a short statement describing the piece. The winners received $50 VISA gift cards, a certificate, and placement of their artwork on the side of operating VISTA buses.
To promote the art contest, the Teen Council, which is comprised of middle and high school students from across Ventura County, designed a variety of materials including a self-produced video that was distributed to local school officials and public access channels.
VCTC launched its Teen Council in October 2011. The group won a national award from the American Public Transportation Association for its youth-focused “Student Rider Guide” in 2012. Since its inception, the Teen Council has developed a video on public transportation that was distributed to local schools, assisted at Earth Day events and Metrolink’s Toy Train toy drive, attended Commission meetings, and learned about local government.
