Sebastian Serrano, a sixth grader at Peabody Charter School, won first place in the fourth-sixth grade category for his artwork of a bus on the moon with a nearby astronaut and planets above in a starry sky. (Courtesy photo)
Sebastian Serrano, a sixth grader at Peabody Charter School, won first place in the fourth-sixth grade category. (Courtesy photo)

Santa Barbara MTD recently held its 11th Annual Youth Art Poster Contest for students in grades one through six with a theme of Buses in Space.

There were a record 180 entries that were voted on by MTD employees. The winning works of art will be featured inside MTD buses for the next year.

This year, MTD teamed up with MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration & Innovation, which will include the winning entries in a summertime art exhibit at MOXI, along with 18 other selected entries. The exhibit is set to open in July.
 
Participating sites included several South Coast after-school programs, schools, and libraries. Entries came from the Eastside, Central, Montecito and Carpinteria libraries; Santa Barbara RAP Program; Carpinteria & Greater Santa Barbara Girls, Inc.; Carpinteria, Westside and Goleta Boys & Girls Clubs; and Santa Barbara Community Academy.

Elisa Mora, a second-grader at Aliso Elementary, won 1st place in the first-third grade category. Her picture depicts a turquoise blue bus riding in the sky with yellow stars and a blue and green planet Earth in the background. (Courtesy photo)
Elisa Mora, a second-grader at Aliso Elementary, won 1st place in the first-third grade category. (Courtesy photo)

The winners are:
 
First-third Grade
 
1st Place: Elisa Mora, second grade, Aliso Elementary 
2nd Place: Keren Fuentes, Camila Estrada, amd Emily Castillo, third Grade, Aliso Elementary
3rd Place: Gabriela Munoz-Vargas, second grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
Honorable Mention: Avalon Penniman, second grade, Washington Elementary 
 
Fourth-sixth Grade
 
1st Place: Sebastian Serrano, sixth grade, Peabody Charter School
2nd Place: Camilla Gonzalez, sixth grade, Monte Vista Elementary
3rd Place: Kevin Carlos Mendoza, sixth grade, Adams Elementary 
Honorable Mention Nick Price, fourth grade; and Evan Reed, fifth grade, Adams Elementary.