Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) sponsors an art contest, encouraging children to create posters encouraging residents and travelers to pick up litter.
This year marks the 35th annual competition with a new call to action: “Keep Our Land Grand.” The contest is open to all students in Oklahoma’s public, private, parochial, charter, tribal schools, known home schools, and correctional center facilities in grades K-12 may participate.
Nearly 2,200 students from almost 200 schools entered the 2026 contest, representing 67 counties across the state.
Fifteen students across four grade divisions — K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12, rose to the top, using color and imagination to spotlight the importance of litter-free highways and communities. Winners earned top honors and cash prizes, including $300 for first place and the Promotional Poster of the Year. Additional awards recognized second and third place, the official entry form design and Postcard of the Year, a new feature of the contest.
The young artists were celebrated during an awards ceremony April 15 and honored at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Their winning designs will take center stage in ODOT’s 2027 calendar, set to be released this December and shared across the state and beyond.
This year’s winners include:
Kindergarten-Second Grade
First Place: Josephine C., 2nd Grade, Pittsburg County
Second Place: Hallie H., 1st Grade, McClain County
Third Place: Eilee K., 1st Grade, McCurtain County
Third-Fifth Grade
First Place: Anamaria S., 4th Grade, Oklahoma County
Second Place: Maria W., 4th Grade, Oklahoma County
Third Place: Ruth E., 5th Grade, Cleveland County
Sixth-Eighth Grade
First Place: Westley G., 6th Grade, Bryan County
Second Place: Sadie B., 7th Grade, McCurtain County
Third Place: Sutton L., 6th Grade, Bryan County
Ninth-Twelfth Grade
First Place: Lailey I., 12th Grade, Marshall County
Second Place: Franchesca L. V., 12th Grade, Love County
Third Place: Emily E., 12th Grade, Woodward County
Promotional Art
Entry Form Poster: Layla K., 7th Grade, Comanche County
Postcard: Isabella W., 12th Grade, McClain County
Promotional Poster: Rilyn T., 11th Grade, Bryan County
“This program empowers students to use creativity to be part of the solution,” said Rhonda Fair, director of community engagement for ODOT. “The transition to the Keep Our Land Grand Art Contest reflects that vision, giving students a bigger platform to share their creativity and inspire all Oklahomans to keep our state clean and beautiful.”
The 2027 Keep Our Land Grand Art Contest will begin in early September 2026, with entries due by Oct 31, 2026.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
