Students clean-up in ODOT’s 2024 Trash Poster Contest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2024
PR# 24-012
We all win when we throw litter in the bin! The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has announced the winners of the 2024 Trash Poster Contest, which celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of keeping our land clean and grand. Fourteen Oklahoma students were recognized for their anti-littering artwork, which will be featured in the state’s 2024 annual Trash Poster Contest, designed to inspire care and concern for Oklahoma’s landscape. The kindergarten through 12th-grade students showcased their creativity by highlighting the state's anti-litter message through art in the Trash Poster Contest. The winning promotional poster, "All-Seeing Eye," with the message "Trash is Seen. Keep OK Clean," serves as a powerful reminder of litter impacts, especially along highways. This poster will be used throughout the state to promote responsible trash disposal and recycling.
This year, the Trash Poster Contest received an impressive 4,615 posters submitted for the competition. The 14 winners will receive a monetary award, T-shirt, certificate of recognition, a poster board and a laminated copy of their poster. Additionally, they will be awarded sponsor promotional items and a state legislative citation of congratulations. The teachers of the winning students will receive a monetary award for classroom supplies and a two-night voucher to an Oklahoma state park, courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.
"Creating art can help students comprehend the effects of litter on the environment, while also inspiring others," said Melody Johnson, ODOT Beautification Coordinator. "I continue to be grateful for the enthusiastic support provided by families, teachers and communities in promoting care and concern for Oklahoma's cleanliness."
The winners of the 2024 contest will be showcased in the calendar of the following year, which will be released in December. Additionally, the 2025 Trash Poster calendars will be available for free, while supplies last. These calendars are expected to be distributed to state agencies, businesses, and schools across the state in December. The winner of the Promotional Poster of the Year will have their design printed in a large format that the public can use for displays to promote positive environmental clean-up and anti-litter campaigns.
From our roadways to our waterways, trash harms our environment, safety, health and well-being and even our budgets.The department spends almost $6 million annually to combat litter on state highways and interstates. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority spends around $1 million a year to clean toll roads. Hundreds of volunteer hours are devoted to fighting litter throughout the state during the national Great American Cleanup, sponsored by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and other litter pick-up opportunities. With your support, we can work towards a cleaner, more beautiful Oklahoma.
Next year’s contest begins Dec.1, 2024, and has a Jan. 31, 2025, deadline to contact local DEQ county offices to enter posters. For more information about the contest and entry rules, go online to www.odot.org/tpc or contact the ODOT Beautification Office at 405-521-2557 or email beautification@odot.org. We all win when we throw litter in the bin!
Contest sponsors include Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma’s Credit Union, OG&E, Office of Management and Enterprise Services – Application Development & Deployment, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department-Oklahoma State Parks, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Ardmore Beautification Council, Oklahoma City Beautiful, Oklahoma Rural Water Association, Solid Waste Institute of Northeast Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Department of Public Safety/Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
The public can view winning posters online at www.odot.org/tpc
The state winners by county are:
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade:
- First Place: Makaylah Whitton, 2nd grade, Muskogee
- Second Place: Sariah Bundy, 2nd grade, McCurtain
- Third Place: Aubrey Key, 2nd grade, Pittsburgh
3rd - 5th Grade:
- First Place: Layla Kowena, 5th grade, Comanche
- Second Place: Relic Foster, 4th grade, Cherokee
- Third Place: Avah Whitton, 5th grade, Muskogee
6th - 8th Grade:
- First Place: Lynnix Reed, 7th grade, Atoka
- Second Place: Genesis Mejia Rodriquez, 8th grade, Tulsa
- Third Place: Shaleigh Howell, 7th grade, Love
9th - 12th Grade:
- First Place: Marklee McMurtrey 10th grade, Carter
- Second Place: Alex Yoon, 10th grade, Oklahoma
- Third Place: Lilly Archer, 9th grade, Carter
PROMOTIONAL POSTER OF THE YEAR
- Emily Eilers, 10th grade, Woodward
ENTRY FORM POSTER FOR 2022
- Alyssa Rich, 12th grade, Adair
-www.odot.org-
(Editors and News Directors: For questions, please call the Oklahoma Transportation Strategic Communications at 405-521-6000.)
