Kentucky middle schooler wins ‘I voted’ sticker design contest, beating out green lizard

The votes are in: The horse won.

In an Election Day tradition, many voters in Kentucky will be given an “I Voted” sticker when they leave the polls this November. But this year, state officials solicited designs from school-aged children across the state, and residents voted this month on the winner.

The winning design, announced Monday by Secretary of State Michael Adams, features a drawing of a horse overlaid on a tattered flag submitted by Carlisle County middle schooler Lillian Bonczkiewicz.

“Thanks to everyone who voted for me, and thanks to my family for the support and believing in me,” Lillian said in a news release from Adams’ office.

Adams said Lillian’s drawing narrowly beat a design from a second-grade student named Cash that took the internet by storm last week.

Cash’s design featured a Spider-Man villain named Dr. Curt Connors, also known as The Lizard. In Marvel’s Spider-Man Comics, Connors tests out a regeneration serum based on lizard DNA in an effort to regrow his arm.

The serum is stronger than he thought, and he transforms into a human-sized lizard. A version of the villain was also featured in the movies “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021).

When the contest was announced in April, Adams said the goal was to encourage civic participation with younger generations.

People were invited to vote on their favorite design earlier this month at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville. Seven of the eight finalists featured traditional American and Kentucky motifs, like eagles and horses, with The Lizard as the exception.

“I want to congratulate Lillian on winning a tight race, and to thank every student across Kentucky that submitted a design,” Adams said in the news release.

Stickers with Lillian’s design will be available at voting locations in Carlisle County, and other county clerks can request them too.