FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 28, 2018 Start the New Year right with the new 2019 Trash Poster CalendarResolve to stay more organized by picking up a 2019 Trash Poster Calendar. This past year students from across the state created anti-litter posters which reminds Oklahomans to keep our land grand and not to litter. The 2019 Trash Poster Calendar shows off the winners and motivates others to be organized. The calendar is available to the public for free while quantities last and entries for the 2020 Trash Poster Calendar are being accepted now. One poster from the 2019 contest is selected as the state Promotional Poster of the Year and printed in large format for the public to use in displays, newsletters and for promotional use to spread the word that litter is harmful to our state. The Department of Transportation spends more than $5 million in taxpayer money annually to combat litter. That total does not include the hundreds of volunteer hours put toward the cause across the state. The deadline for entries in the 2019 contest is Jan. 31 and students in Kindergarten through the 12th grade are encouraged to show their creative talents by entering. Entries must be received at the local county Department of Environmental Quality Office by Jan. 31, 2019. County judging and awards, coordinated by local DEQ offices, will take place in February and local winners will be forwarded to the state competition in March. The contest is a tool to encourage students to learn about Oklahoma’s litter issues and propose solutions through their art. Students may enter in these categories by grade: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The 13 state winners will receive cash prizes, including $250 for first place, $150 for second place, $100 for third place in each of the four divisions and one additional poster will be chosen to win $200 as the state Promotional Poster of the Year. The state winners of the 28th annual contest, their families and teachers will be invited to an awards event in April and the students will be introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives at the state Capitol. Teachers of the 13 winners will receive a two-night stay at an Oklahoma state park and a voucher for classroom art supplies. The department distributes more than 35,000 calendars to state agencies, businesses and schools statewide. Contact ODOT’s Beautification Office to get copies while quantities last at (405)-521-2557 or email beautification@odot.org. Entries must be original concepts with positive themes related to litter and must be 12 inches x 18 inches or 11 inches x 17 inches on paper or poster board. Syndicated characters, computer generated images, glue, glitter or any material that could harm scanning or copying equipment will not be accepted. Last year more than 6,900 students participated in the statewide competition, which is a partnership of ODOT, DEQ, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, OGE Energy Corporation, Oklahoma Employees Credit Union, Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department-Oklahoma State Parks, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Ardmore Beautification Council, International Paper, Oklahoma Rural Water Association, Sierra Club-Oklahoma Chapter, Solid Waste Institute of Northeast Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Beautiful, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Highway Patrol. For more information and entry forms, contact the ODOT Beautification Office at (405) 521-2557, or access the ODOT website at www.odot.org/tpc.
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| Download picture here: http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/newsmedia/mediaclips/2019_Trash_off.pdf (Editors and News Directors: For more information, call the ODOT Media and Public Relations Division at 405-521-6000.)
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