Rising junior wins with design featuring loons under a night sky
Samantha Williams has enjoyed art classes over the last two years at Slinger High School.
But the rising junior never imagined one of her projects would win a contest, much less be displayed on hundreds of thousands of vehicles.
Williams' design of two loons on a lake with a moon and stars above was selected as winner of the 2024 Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission sticker design contest.
The Department of Natural Resources announced the contest results on Thursday. About 150 designs were submitted for this year's contest, according to the agency.
Williams' image will be printed on state park and forest annual vehicle admission stickers and will be displayed on more than 500,000 vehicles.
Her work was the result of an assignment in Drawing and Painting II, a class led by Slinger art teacher Chris Graziano.
The work had a clear goal: follow the rules of the state park sticker contest and design one worthy of entry. After coming up with sketches by hand, the students transferred the images to a computer program called Adobe Illustrator.
Williams said she started with several designs, including deer, dogs and loons.
In keeping with the rules, only four colors were allowed.
After several draft sketches, the loon theme came out on top.
"My family used to have a cabin on Lily Lake near Spooner and there were loons there," said Williams, 16. "I love loons and worked to put them in a unique design."
Williams said she spent about six days of class time working on the stamp design and turned the assignment in "right at deadline."
In early July she learned she won. "I thought they were joshing me," Williams said. "Only when (the DNR) called back did I believe I won."
Graziano, a Slinger art teacher for 38 years, has had three students win the design contest.
Now in its 33rd year, the annual DNRsponsored design contest is open to artwork submissions from high school-age students attending Wisconsin's public, private, parochial or home schools.
Aspen Wolter of Jefferson High School was awarded second place in this year's contest, and Chase Robert Reyer of Oshkosh North High School took third.
Two of Williams' Slinger High classmates, Raina Crawley and Kaya Miller, earned honorable mention in the contest.
The other honorable mentions were: Brianne Fortney, Ashwaubenon High School; Carly Goodlund, McFarland High School; Sean Allen, Kiel High School; Isabel Lehner, D.C. Everest Idea Charter School; and Emily Grubb, Beaver High School.
Vehicle admission stickers are required on all motor vehicles entering Wisconsin state parks and recreation areas. Some state forest and trail parking areas also require a sticker.
Annual admission stickers cost $28 for Wisconsin residents or $38 for nonresidents.
A family with more than one vehicle registered to the same household may purchase additional state park stickers for $15.50 for residents and $20.50 for non-residents. A senior citizen annual sticker for $13 is available for Wisconsin residents aged 65 or older.
State vehicle admission sticker revenues operationally fund the Wisconsin State Park System. The 2024 stickers will go on sale Nov. 24. Stickers are available online, at state park system properties and at DNR service centers.