— from Washington State Ferries —

It’s cold, windy, and in some cases snowy outside, a typical Pacific Northwest winter, but this ought to put a spring in your step! We’re looking for a fresh new look for our spring 2017 sailing schedule.

Middle schoolers, put your thinking caps on, because we’re inviting you to participate in our spring cover contest. Students in grades six through eight have until mid-January to create and submit an original drawing based on the theme “Ferries + Puget Sound Wildlife.” It may be cold outside, but think of all that there is to look forward to in April…sunshine, plants in bloom, and wildlife.

This drawing by 10-year-old Ellie Heldridge of Seattle was picked as the winner of our contest and is featured on the cover of our 2017 winter sailing schedule, out now.

This spring we’ll print over 600,000 ferry schedules with the selected cover art and distribute them across our 10 ferry terminals and 22 vessels that make up Washington State Ferries. That schedule cover art could be yours.

CONTEST RULES

Who is eligible?

All students in middle school (6-8) are eligible and invited to participate in this contest. Submissions will be accepted beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The contest ends Wednesday, Jan. 18. No submissions will be accepted after this time.

What are the submission requirements?

  • Dimensions:
    • Electronic: Submissions must be 300 dpi or higher, and portrait oriented. Submissions cannot exceed 16 MB.
    • By Mail: Submissions must be on 8.5 x 11 paper, and portrait oriented.
  • Media: Submissions must be hand-drawn (no electronic illustrations, please) in black and white. Color submissions will not be accepted. Any of the following media may be used: paint (watercolor, tempera, poster, acrylic, etc.) and drawing materials (pencil, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, crayons, etc.). Artists are encouraged to use bold, strong lines.
  • Original artwork: All work must include a ferry or elements of a ferry (i.e. life ring). No copyright images, text or other material will be accepted. (For example, artwork depicting characters from television shows, video games or books is not allowed).
  • Ownership: Artist submissions shall be treated as being free of restrictions and limitations to their use. By submitting artwork, you give ownership to WSF and authorize WSF to post your entry on our website indefinitely, and grant WSF the right to use, print and publish your design.
  • Deadline: All submissions must be received by Survey Monkey or mail by Wednesday, Jan. 18.

How do students submit their drawings?

  • Electronic: Submissions must be entered via Survey Monkey. Please fill out the form with contact information and upload the drawing by Wednesday, Jan. 18.
  • By Mail: Submissions must be received by Wednesday, Jan. 18. All submissions should include a note with the student’s name, age, grade, school, and the best phone number and email to contact them by. All hard copy submissions should be sent to the following address:Washington State Ferries
    ATTN: Communications Staff Aide
    2901 3rd Ave. Suite 500
    Seattle, WA 98121
  • Please note: Each student may only submit one drawing.

Who will select the winning drawing?

A panel of judges from the WSF executive team will review entries. A winner will be selected whose work best depicts the theme of “Ferries + Puget Sound Wildlife.” Entries will be judged on creativity, originality, clarity of theme and artistic merit.

What do I win?

Five finalists will be selected and featured on the WSF website, on the WSF Twitter, and in the WSF weekly update. From those finalists, a winning drawing will be chosen to be featured on the 2017 WSF spring sailing schedule.

Questions? Contact us at wsfcomms@wsdot.wa.gov