School Bus Safety

School Bus Safety Poster Contest

Letter to Principals  |  Print Contest Guidelines  |  Print Contest Entry Form

2012 Information

National School Bus Safety Week

The Secretary of State's Office, in conjunction with the Illinois Association for Pupil Transportation, holds an annual contest to increase awareness of school bus safety issues and to publicize National School Bus Safety Week.

National School Bus Safety Week will be held October 15-19, 2012. The theme for 2012 is "STAND BACK FROM THE YELLOW AND BLACK". The state winners' artwork will be featured on the Secretary of State's Webpage and will also be sent forward for national competition. Winners also receive monetary awards and are recognized at an awards ceremony in Springfield.

Who May Enter

Any student enrolled in a public, parochial or private school

Division 1 - Grades K-2
Division 2- Grades 3-6
Division 3 – Grades 7-8
Division 4 – Special Service Students

Deadlines

May 1, 2012 is the deadline for local competition
June 1, 2012 is the deadline for state competition

How to Enter

Use a National School Bus Week Poster 3”X5” entry blank, or a reasonable facsimile, with information typed or printed clearly and signed by the teacher. It must be securely glued to the back of the poster and placed in lower left hand corner.

Designs may be on 12”X18” construction paper but should be glued on quality poster illustration board, size 12”X18”.

Orginality

Poster theme must be original and correct in safety concept. (seat belt on driver, bus not across the cross walk, bus on correct side of road, stop arm on correct side of bus, etc.)

Poster themes must be original, correct and the exclusive work of the student entering the program in idea, design, and execution. Instructor should supervise all work created. Completion of art should be done during the month of March. Poster slogan must harmonize with the theme: STAND BACK FROM THE YELLOW AND BLACK.

Contestants must illustrate above theme only. Illustrations should be positive in approach, demonstrating only proper school bus safety behavior. Illustrations must also accurately portray Illinois law, rules and regulations regarding pupil transportation. At least part of a yellow school bus must be presented in the poster.

Lettering

Only Freehand drawn letters may be used in the poster design. Stenciled, reprinted, manufactured stick-on or press-on letters or tracings may NOT be used. Lettering should be clearly legible, even if used as part of the poster design.

There is no limitation on the use of colors. There is no limitation on the type of media- such as print, crayon, cut-paper, felt pen, etc. -used on the poster designs; however, wood, plastic, glass or metal should not be part of the poster.

Collage materials should not be used. Poster designs may not incorporate any copyright characters (i.e. comic and television characters), photographs, or magazine/newspaper illustrations.

Mail Entries To

I.A.P.T. Poster Contest
Tonna Percival, Effingham Unit 40
1610 W. Wernsing Ave.
Effingham, IL. 62401

The local contest winning posters will be entered and judged in the State Poster Contest. The state winners will be entered into the NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK POSTER PROGRAM.

Judging

Local: By administrators, teachers, or staff in your schools

State: Transportation Directors or those selected by the I.A.P.T. Board of Directors along with the I.S.T.A. Directors.

National: Illinois posters selected for final judging will be reviewed by the National Board of Judges, comprised of prominent individuals in the field of transportation safety. The winning poster will be used for national distribution in 2013.

Judging criteria for award - winning posters:
a) Relationship of the poster design to school bus safety practices
b) Originality of poster and how the idea is expressed in the poster design
c) Artwork and its’ execution
d) Visual impact of the poster design

All state/province entries become the property of the National School Bus Safety Week Committee. The right to modify any poster is reserved by the NSBSW Committee, comprised of members of the NAPT, NSTA, NSC, state directors and school bus manufacturers and suppliers.

Prizes

STATE: Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place in each division as follows:

1st Place   $75
2nd Place   $35
3rd Place   $25

NATIONALLY:

1st Place Overall Winner   $1000 savings bond
1st Place Winner of remaining 3 divisions   $ 500 savings bond
2nd Place Winner of each 4 divisions   $ 250 savings bond
3rd Place Winner of each 4 divisions   $ 100 savings bond