Amelie C. Romero shows her artwork of a bus that appears to be in the ovean, won 2nd Place Winner in 1st-3rd Grade Category. (Courtesy photo)
Amelie C. Romero wpn 2nd Place Winner in 1st-3rd Grade Category. (Courtesy photo)

Santa Barbara MTD received a record-setting 180 entries for its 12th Annual Youth Art Poster Contest this spring.

The contest for students in grades 1-6 carried a theme of Ocean Buses.

Winning works of art will be featured inside MTD buses for the next year, beginning in early July.

For the second year in a row, MTD teamed up with MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration & Innovation, where the winning works of art will be included in a summertime art exhibit at MOXI along with 18 additional selected entries.

GraphicInk sponsored the printing for the exhibit at MOXI. The MOXI exhibit is set to open at the end of June.
 
Participating sites included several South Coast after-school programs, schools and libraries.

Anahi Perez holds up her drawing that took 2nd Place in the 4th-6th Grade Category. (Courtesy photo)
Anahi Perez took 2nd Place in the 4th-6th Grade Category. (Courtesy photo)

Entries came from the Goleta, Eastside, Central, Montecito and Carpinteria libraries; city of Santa Barbara RAP Program; Carpinteria and Greater Santa Barbara Girls, Inc.; Downtown Santa Barbara; the Carpinteria, Westside and Goleta Boys & Girls Clubs; Santa Barbara Community Academy; and MOXI.

Following are the winning entries:

1st-3rd Grade

1st Place: Minori Roca, 2nd grade, El Camino Elementary
2nd Place: Amelie C. Romero, 2nd grade, Monte Vista Elementary
3rd Place: Devin Schooler & Eddie Cortina, 1st grade, El Camino Elementary
Honorable Mention: Amelia Silva, 2nd grade, St. Raphael School
 
4th-6th Grade

1st Place: Noemi Espinoza Aguilar, 4th grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
2nd Place: Anahí Perez, 4th grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
3rd Place: Katie Luna Mendoza, 6th grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
Honorable Mention: Sofia Ventura, 6th grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy