Iowa K-12 art classes can help determine the future design of the state’s specialized education license plate in a new statewide contest for students.
An introductory video featuring Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow officially kicks off the Iowa Education License Plate Contest and invites art teachers to submit up to 10 student plate designs for consideration.
The Iowa Education License Plate Contest can be used as an early-finisher project or as standards-aligned classwork.
The Department is also seeking art teachers to serve as volunteer contest adjudicators to help review license plate artwork submissions.
Full contest details, including an art worksheet, consent and release form and specific timelines, can be found on the Department’s website. Additional questions on this opportunity or how to be a contest adjudicator can be directed to Kris VerSteegt at kris.versteegt@iowa.gov.
Contest timeline:
- Dec. 1, 2024 – Teachers will collect completed artworks and consent and release forms from students.
- Jan. 1, 2025 – Teachers will select up to 10 artworks and review for any copyrighted images.
- Feb. 1, 2025 – Teachers will submit artworks and consent and release forms to the Department.
- March 1, 2025 – Adjudicators will decide on semi-finalists.
- April 1, 2025 – Public voting will select 3-4 finalists.
- May 1, 2025 – The winning artwork will be chosen. The new license plate design will enter production.
- May 20, 2025 – The winning student artist will be notified.
June 1, 2025 – Semi-finalist artworks will be displayed at the Department.