For the second year, the City of Soldotna is holding a contest to design new “I Voted” stickers that will be distributed at city polling places.
According to the contest rules, artists across three categories can submit their artwork through an online portal accessible at soldotna.org. There’s a “Youth” category for those between the ages of 13 and 18, an “Adult” category for those older than 18, and a category for younger “Future Voter” artists under 13.
All three categories require residence in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. All submissions need to feature “an original design that celebrates voting and Soldotna, Alaska.”
Designs cannot feature stock photos or AI-generated imagery, among other considerations. They also may not reference candidates or parties and cannot describe specific dates or years.
Submissions for the contest will be accepted until June 16, followed by a closed judging period. In each category, three finalists will be named and a public vote will be held starting July 1 to decide the winners, whose designs will be available at polling sites and absentee voting locations this fall. Winning designs will be announced on July 26.
Last year, of 34 submissions, Hadley Kornelis, then a 12-year-old Soldotna Montessori student, won the “Future Voter” category with a depiction of a sockeye salmon against mountains at sunset.
Isla Crouse, then a 15-year-old Kenai Central High School student, won the youth category with her image of a sockeye salmon moving along the riverbank.
Addie Nelson won the adult prize with her image of a tent overlooking an ice field.
Full rules and more information can be found at soldotna.org, under the City Clerk’s office. A submission portal can be found at the same site, and designs can also be brought or mailed with a printed entry form to the clerk’s office in Soldotna City Hall.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
