Wisconsin state park and forest annual vehicle admission stickers are designed by high school students chosen in a statewide contest. The design contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is open to all high school age students attending public, private or parochial schools in Wisconsin.

Entries for the 2021 sticker design contest are accepted through Friday, April 24, 2020.

Contest Rules

Submission materials: The Design Template may be found here: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/stickers/pdfs/exhibit1.pdf. The Entry Form may be found here: https://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/forms/2500/2500-111.pdf.

Eligibility

Entrants must be enrolled in grades 9 through 12 or equivalent, attending public, private or parochial schools in Wisconsin during the 2019-2020 school year. Children of Department of Natural Resources employees or judges are not eligible. Each student may submit only one entry.

Contest Deadline

Entries must be received by the Bureau of Parks and Recreation, PO Box 7921, Madison WI 53707, no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 24, 2020.

Subject Matter

The design must be the artist’s original creation and shall not be copied or duplicated from previously published art, including photographs, clip art or electronic graphic images. Photographs or photo manipulations will not be accepted.

Technical Requirements

Color: The design is limited to four colors maximum. Black and white, if used, each count as a color. All colors must be flat and solid, with no shading, blending or halftones. There can be no colorless areas.

Shape and Size: The design must fill the shape provided on the Design Template. No other shape or size may be used.

Lettering: The wording which must appear on the sticker is provided on the Design Template. The typeface must be Arial bold 36 and cannot be altered, stretched, etc. The artist may arrange the lettering in any way. All wording must be used. No other wording, including the artist’s signature, may appear on the design.

Suitability for Reproduction: The Department of Natural Resources reserves the right to alter the design if necessary. This includes redrawing, resetting type and changing colors.

Failure to Comply With Contest Rules: Any entry that fails to comply with any of the requirements of the contest shall be disqualified and will not be considered by the judging panel.

Judging of the Contest

A panel appointed by the director of the Bureau of Parks and Recreation will serve without compensation to judge the entries. The judges will be selected to provide a representative cross-section of individuals with expertise in design and/or an interest in parks and forests. Judging of the contest will take place with winners to be announced in a news release in and on the DNR website.

Submission Procedures

Entries may be submitted in one of the two following ways: Entries may be sent via regular mail. Do not laminate the design. The Entry Form must be included and either stapled to the design or securely attached to the back. Each entry submitted this way must be mailed or hand delivered to: Sticker Design Contest, DNR/Bureau of Parks & Recreation, 101 S Webster Street, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921.

Entries may be sent electronically via email. Scan the completed Entry Form as a PDF. You may email this entry form file, along with the design file (accepted formats are PDF, PNG, and JPG), to DNRWisconsinParks@wisconsin.gov.

Each contestant must verify that he or she meets all eligibility requirements and enclose the completed and signed entry form with a parent’s or guardian’s and teacher’s (if applicable) signature. All designs submitted will become the sole property of the Department of Natural Resources. The department will not insure any entry it receives nor assume liability for any damage, loss or theft of any entry. Each student may submit only one entry. Entries will not be returned.

Tips for a Winning Entry

Based on the results of previous contests, here are some tips and suggestions that you may find useful: Read the rules! Each year we get entries that fail to comply with rules and must be rejected. Remember, the winning design will be reduced to 2.5 x 2.5 inches. Fine detail disappears when the design is reduced. Remember, shading, blending and halftones are not permitted. The design should be appropriate for Wisconsin State Parks and Forests and all the different recreation activities available. Many designs are rejected because they feature snow-capped mountains or plants or animals not native to Wisconsin. If you choose to realistically portray an animal, flower, tree, etc., make sure it is accurate. Consult a good field guide. This should not discourage you from doing stylized compositions. Take a look at the park stickers of the last several years, available to view at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/stickers/index.html. The department probably will not choose something that was featured in the recent past.