Launched in September 2024, the Iowa Education License Plate Contest offered K-12 students the unique opportunity to reimagine the state’s current education license plate, which had been in place since 1997.
In the following video, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow officially kicked off the Iowa Education License Plate Contest and invited art teachers to submit up to 10 student plate designs for consideration.
The Iowa Education License Plate Contest could be used as an early-finisher project or as standards-aligned classwork.
Semifinalists
A committee representing art teachers from across the state reviewed and selected the 16 semifinalists from over 100 qualified designs submitted by Iowa K-12 art classes. Each entry was reviewed for creativity, originality, artistic skill and its representation of celebrating Iowa education. Iowans narrowed the field to three finalists for consideration through a public voting period in the spring of 2025.
The artwork of all 16 semifinalists will be displayed at the Department’s Grimes State Office Building location.
Contest Criteria
Iowa License Plate Contest Packet - Includes full contest details, including an art worksheet, consent and release form and specific timelines.
Timeline
- By Dec. 1, 2024 – Teachers will collect completed artworks and consent and release forms.
- By Jan. 1, 2025 – Teachers will select up to 10 artworks and review for any copyrighted images.
- By Feb. 1, 2025 – Teachers will submit artworks and consent and release forms to the Department.
- By March 1, 2025 – Adjudicators will decide on semi-finalists.
- By April 15, 2025 – Public voting will select 3-4 finalists.
- By May 1, 2025 – The winning artwork will be chosen. The new license plate design will enter production.
- By May 19, 2025 – The winning student artist will be notified.
- After June 1, 2025 – Semi-finalist artworks will be displayed at the Department.