America 250
Youth Art Contest

Artists are invited to submit original designs inspired by this milestone moment in history. The winning artists will each receive a check prize and their artwork will be professionally reproduced and showcased on a GHT bus. The rolling artwork will travel through the Grays Harbor community and the bus may be featured in parades for the 4th of July, Loggers Playday, and the Montesano Festival of Lights.

All artwork must be received by GHT no later than Memorial Day, May 25.

Art submissions should represent themes in connection with America 250 celebrations, such as the “Spirit of 1776”, 250 years of American history, classic American iconography, or other creative expressions evoking themes associated with American independence celebrations.

Please do NOT use any trademarked or copyrighted material such as company or product names or logos or trademarked fictional characters.

Submit your finished art to Grays Harbor Transit either in person, by email, or via the digital upload linked on this page.

All submissions must include a completed Artist Release form. The release must also be signed by a parent for those under 18. Include your full name and school on your art submission.

In person:

Please note that GHT's offices are closed to the public on weekends and Memorial Day. That means the last day to drop off in person is Friday, May 22.

Drop off your physical art to GHT's maintenance facility at 705 30th Street  in Hoquiam.

Check with your school's art teacher if you can also drop your artwork off with them.

Email:

Email your completed art in a digital format to Eric Lint, Communications Specialist, at elint@ghtransit.com.

Accepted formats include: Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or other compatible vector art formats, PDF, JPG, PNG. Please ensure that your graphics are in a high resolution for the best quality reproduction. Maximum filesize for email cannot exceed 24MB.

Digital upload:

[digital upload link coming soon - email us to be notified when ready]

The winning art will be featured on the driver's side of a 35-foot bus in the area below the windows and between the front and back tires. See the diagram on this page for an example of the art area.

Art submissions cannot exceed an area of 38-inches tall by 156-inches wide. Artists are NOT required to fill the entire space.

• Hand drawn, colored, or painted artwork is accepted in either the original format or a high-quality scan (600-dpi).
  
• Original computer generated art (such as painted using an iPad) is accepted but should be in a high-resolution at 600-dpi for best results.
• Remember that your art will be viewed from a distance while driving on the road, so make it LARGE, BOLD and BRIGHT. Intricate detail may not be seen well. Just a few prominent colors (like in marker sets) often work better on bus art than photo quality shades and tints.

The Contest opens March 23, 2026, and closes May 25, 2026, at 11:59pm Pacific Time.

• Each participant may submit one (1) original design.
• Designs must be created using the official bus outline template available at ghtransit.com/art or otherwise sized to fit requirements.
• Submissions must be original works created solely by the participant and must not have been previously published or commercially used.
• All qualified submissions will be posted for viewing publicly on the GHT website after the submission deadline and before selection of winners. Submissions may be displayed in other areas as appropriate.
• Given that submissions must be original works by the artist, entries determined by the evaluation committee to be the product of artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be rejected from consideration.

See the complete Official Rules and Terms & Conditions for this contest here (PDF).

Please don't hesitate to ask questions or seek clarification about the contest! Contact Eric Lint at elint@ghtransit.com for any questions.

Are you a school interested in a class visit relating to this contest?  Get in touch with Eric to schedule a visit!