RLHS students chosen as top winners in State Park Design Contest

Rice Lake High School students Evan Strand and Jehiel Josh De Los Santos were selected as the first and second place winners in the Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission sticker contest, the Wisconsin DNR announced Wednesday.

Strand's sticker was chosen as the winning design, which will be printed on state park and forest vehicle admission stickers. The designs were created in teacher Roger Britton's graphic design class last winter.

"I mean it’s crazy to be selected," Strand said. "Never in a million years did I think my sticker would be the winning one in the entire state. So it definitely is still crazy to me. I entered the drawing in an attempt to get a good grade, with no real intention of winning the entire thing, so that made my day when I found out for sure."

Strand's submission captures the essence of a night spent camping under the stars.

"I chose the theme I did because I think it perfectly represents the Wisconsin that most don’t think of," Strand said. "I love looking at the night sky and star gazing so creating a sticker representing that was easily my first choice. I also love having summer fires with friends and family and I think that is an overall staple of Wisconsin summers for most. I also chose the tent and pine tree because I feel as though they are very prominent in our state so I think their representation would go a long way with them being seen by others in the state."

For De Los Santos, his design featured a playful scene of a evergreen tree with legs and a pair of shoes walking to the top of a hill.

"For my design, I decided to take a different approach and incorporated the playfulness found in going to the park," De Los Santos said. "In a sense, the walking tree can symbolize the lingering memory that lasts after leaving for the day. I'm grateful for coming in second out of all 150 contestants!"

Now in its 34th year, the annual DNR-sponsored design contest is open to artwork submissions from high school-age students attending Wisconsin's public, private or parochial schools or home-schools. The DNR received about 150 entries this year.

Strand's design will be displayed on more than 500,000 vehicles in the upcoming year. Vehicle admission stickers provide access to more than 60 Wisconsin state parks, forests and recreation areas.

"Seeing my design on cars all around the state for years to come is something I never thought would happen," Strand said. "It’s going to be amazing to see my work all over, in cities I’ve never been to, on people’s cars who don’t even know me. Seeing that over 500,000 copies will be made is something that I’m still processing in my own head. That number is huge and knowing that my work will be all over the state is something I’m truly grateful for.

"Thank you to Mr Britton for assigning this and making this possible and thank you to the DNR for picking my sticker and representing me with your 2025 design."

Strand is the second Rice Lake student to recently be selected as the winner. Foreign exchange student Emma Dzurbanova, a native of the Zamberk, Czech Republic, had her design depicting a cross-country skier heading down a trail be selected for the state park sticker in 2021.

Stickers to become available this winter

The 2025 stickers will go on sale Dec. 2. Stickers are available online, at state park system properties and at DNR service centers. Admission revenues fund Wisconsin State Park operations.

Beginning in 2025, the Wisconsin DNR’s annual state park and forest vehicle admission sticker will transition to an updated sticker format that will be valid for a full 12 months from the time of purchase, instead of expiring at the end of the calendar year.

When a sticker is purchased, it will be marked to indicate the month in which it is issued. The sticker will remain valid until the final day of the 12th month following the month it is issued.

Vehicle admission stickers cost $28 for Wisconsin residents or $38 for non-residents. A family with more than one vehicle registered to the same household may purchase additional state park stickers for $15.50 for residents and $20.50 for non-residents. A senior citizen annual sticker for $13 is available for Wisconsin residents aged 65 or older.

More information on how to purchase vehicle admission stickers and other frequently asked questions can be found on the Vehicle Admission Stickers webpage, dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/admission.