CHICAGO –– Secretary of State Jesse White announced today that his office is sponsoring a contest for elementary school children to design a new education license plate.
This contest is exciting because it focuses on our young people," said White. "The creativity of the children of Illinois is one of our most treasured resources. This contest will provide a statewide stage to showcase their talents." White is encouraging all elementary school children in Illinois to enter.
Proceeds generated by the new "Education License Plate" will be deposited into a special Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund. The fund will be used to provide scholarships to full-time undergraduate and graduate students pursuing teacher certifications in Illinois.
The students' designs must be submitted to the address below by June 1, 2002. The designs will be reviewed over the summer, and a committee designated by law will judge the winner on Sept. 30, 2002. The committee will include Secretary White, the director of the Illinois State Police, two members of the Senate and two members of the House of Representatives.
State Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora) and State Rep. Larry McKeon (D-Chicago) sponsored Senate Bill 1521 that creates both the new specialty license plate for education and the contest to design the plate. Entry forms and materials for the design contest have been mailed to all elementary schools in the state. The contest is open to all K-8 students in Illinois. The entry form and license plate template also are available on the Secretary of State's Web site.
Designs should be submitted to:
SECRETARY OF STATE
ATTN: NADINE O'LEARLY
461 HOWLETT BUILDING
SPRINGFIELD, IL 62756
