Laketran unveils winning entries of 'Design a Bus Wrap' art contest

Apr. 29—Laketran has announced the winners of its 2024 "Design a Bus Wrap" art contest, with Mentor High School junior Hailey Ambrus taking first prize for her entry, "50 years of a Greener, Greater Community."

As the top winner, Ambrus' design will be displayed on one of Laketran's Dial-a-Ride buses for one year, the transit agency confirmed.

"When I was thinking of ideas for the contest, I thought about all of the well-known buildings that are in Lake County, like the (James A.) Garfield House, the Fairport Lighthouse, and the Lakeland clock tower," Ambrus said, addressing classmates at the school.

"I was also thinking about the 50th anniversary and how Laketran has created a greener community for us, so I incorporated the saying '50 years of a Greener, Greater Community,' " she added. "Lastly, I created a gradient that looks like a sunny, blue sky to remind me of the sunny, summer days in Lake County."

Additional winners are:

—Evan Bordelon, Second Place — Mentor High School

—Jazett Garay, Third Place — Heritage Middle School

In its fourth year, the contest drew over 60 entries from area high school and middle school students.

"Encouraging local students to think about public transportation and being able to combine that with public art is a unique and fun opportunity that we love to offer every year," said Laketran CEO Ben Capelle. "We were very impressed with the creativity of the entries — we have some extremely talented student artists in Lake County."

A panel consisting of transit employees, graphic art professionals and community leaders served as judges.

Avery Dennison, a Lake County-based manufacturer and distributor of pressure-sensitive adhesive materials, sponsored the contest and donated the vinyl material used to wrap the vehicle.

"We are a proud sponsor of this program and we are grateful for the opportunity to support Laketran, our area students, and the Lake County community," said Amanda Stefanik, senior marketing communications specialist, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions. "Each year, our team enjoys being involved with an initiative that inspires the imagination and creativity of our local students.

"We appreciate the opportunity to connect with our local area leaders and schools to drive awareness of vinyl graphics among art students, arts programs, and art instructors," she added. "As Hailey illustrates with this year's winning wrapped bus design, graphic vinyl film can be a powerful, creative canvas that is visually engaging and beautiful."

Winning designs can be viewed at laketran.com/laketran-announces-2024-art-contest-winners/.

Laketran has the top 20 entries on display at the agency's Frank J. Polivka Transit Center at Lakeland Community College.