Elementary Poster Contest

The Mineta Transportation Institute Elementary Poster Contest allows students, grades 1-6, to demonstrate their knowledge of the year’s transportation theme through an artistic, visually compelling image.

That image should encourage, inspire, and/or convey a message to others about the theme.

2022 Theme:

View English flyer

View Cantonese flyer

View Mandarin flyer

View Vietnamese Flyer

Take a look at your ride to school. What about to the grocery store or your best friend’s house? There are many ways to travel, but almost 70% of students in the U.S. get to school by car, and transportation is the largest contributor of our country’s GHG emissions. What if one person took a moment to rethink their ride? One school? One city? Cutting back on using cars and using buses, light rail, and trains would help fight climate change. If you rethink your ride, could you save the planet?

2021 "Stroll and Roll Back to School" Poster Winners

1st place prize winner:
Aarya Kambhampati, 1st grade, William Faria Elementary School

2nd place prize winner:
Diya Sairam, 2nd grade, Lincoln Elementary

3rd place prize winner:
Yuhan Li, 2nd grade, Eisenhower Elementary School

1st place prize winner:
Samvith Mahadevan, 5th grade, Murdock-Portal Elementary School

2nd place prize winner:
Tzu-Hsuan Huang, 4th grade, C.B. Eaton Elementary

3rd place prize winner:
Xuanyi (Emma) Ma, 6th grade, Kennedy Middle School

2020 "I Stop, You Stop, We All Stop for Train Tracks" Poster Winners

1st place prize winner:
Elena, 3rd grade, Los Alamitos Elementary

2nd place prize winner:
Catalina, 2nd grade, Escondido Elementary

3rd place prize winner:
Mikhail, 2nd grade, Montague Elementary

1st place prize winner:
Nitzia, 3rd grade, Bachrodt Elementary

2nd place prize winner:
Jazlyn, 3rd grade, Bachrodt Elementary

3rd place prize winner:
Sophia, 3rd grade, Bachrodt Elementary

"Thank you for teaching us about safety. Now I know why the school busses stop at train tracks!" - Sophia

Prizes and Awards!

Six winners will be selected: Three from grades 1-3 and three from grades 4-6. All winning posters will be displayed at the Mineta Transportation Institute Banquet at San José State University in June. All prizes must be claimed by end of the academic school year in which the entries were made.

Elementary poster contest prizes and awards

Ready to Participate?

Participants must be students enrolled in any U.S. public schools (grades 1-6). Three winning posters from each group will be selected by a panel of impartial judges. The competition is open from September-December annually.

Group 1: Grades 1^st - 3^rd	Group 2: Grades 4^th - 6^th
Posters must be a standard poster board size 22 x 28 inches (If acquiring these posters is a financial burden, please contact MTI's Alverina Weinardy for assistance) Posters can be illustrated vertically or horizontally Media: paint, crayon, felt pen, markers, cut paper, and other art supplies (no printed components may be used) Only one entry per student A photo of the completed posters should be submitted using the form at the bottom of this page Winning posters will not be returned to the student	Poster dimensions 18 x 24 inches (poster setting) Posters can be illustrated vertically or horizontally Digital poster contest- participants may use PowerPoint, Paint, Spark, or any another poster-making application Posters must be submitted in PDF format Only one entry per student Posters must be submitted using the entry form at the bottom of this page

Group 1: Grades 1^st - 3^rd

Group 2: Grades 4^th - 6^th

Posters must be a standard poster board size 22 x 28 inches (If acquiring these posters is a financial burden, please contact MTI's Alverina Weinardy for assistance)
Posters can be illustrated vertically or horizontally
Media: paint, crayon, felt pen, markers, cut paper, and other art supplies (no printed components may be used)
Only one entry per student
A photo of the completed posters should be submitted using the form at the bottom of this page
Winning posters will not be returned to the student

Poster dimensions 18 x 24 inches (poster setting)
Posters can be illustrated vertically or horizontally
Digital poster contest- participants may use PowerPoint, Paint, Spark, or any another poster-making application
Posters must be submitted in PDF format
Only one entry per student
Posters must be submitted using the entry form at the bottom of this page

Judging Criteria

Poster must adhere to the annual theme
Must show safe transit/ transportation practices
Creativity and originality
Catchiness of incorporating the theme as a motto, tag line, or hashtag
Visual appeal (i.e. layout, color selection, organization)
Spelling and message clarity
Quick tip: for digital entries, remember to reduce the file size for easy upload

Important Dates
December 5, 2022	Poster submittal deadline at 11:59PM
January 9, 2022	Winners announced and prizes coordinated with winning students
April 30, 2023	All prizes must be claimed