Longtime Colorado resident Ms. Terry dropped off her designs for the Historic Colorado Contest on Nov. 16, 2022, at the Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters in Lakewood.
Originally from New York, she and her husband moved to Colorado in the 1960s, she said. “When most people think of Colorado history, they think of Molly Brown or Buffalo Bill, but no single person made Colorado,” the former history and English teacher said. “I wanted to focus on those people who set the stage for Colorado – miners. They discovered gold and silver and helped lead us to becoming a state.”
When asked about the Historic Colorado Contest, Ms. Terry said it’s great because it helps people take ownership of the state and learn some of our shared history. “I learned stuff about Colorado that I didn’t know and it helped reinforce what a great state and country we have.”
The Historic Colorado Contest will accept submissions until Wednesday, Nov. 30 and is open to anyone who lives or studies in Colorado. The contest has two divisions — 13 and older, and under 13.
Up to 10 finalists per division will be selected by a committee with a final, public vote on the top three designs. The winners will get huge bragging rights, the DMV will feature the artists in all media releases and the winners will each receive a special commemorative license plate and a $1,000 grant.
Entries will be judged on how well the artwork captures Colorado and its history, the artistic quality and its originality, and how well that design translates into becoming a Colorado license plate.
The Historic Colorado Contest is free to enter and each participant can submit up to three entries, each of which need to be the participant’s original artwork. Coloradans interested in participating in the Historic Colorado contest can visit DMV.Colorado.gov/HistoricColorado for complete information, terms and conditions, and templates for drafting submissions.
The DMV will accept a variety of file formats such as EPS, SVG, AI, PDF, and high resolution TIFF and JPEG (3.375 in x 2.125 in at 600 dpi) for entries, and asks that submissions not have any watermarks. Coloradans should email their designs and entry form to dor_HistoricColorado@state.co.us.
The Historic Colorado Contest is a low-cost effort to honor Colorado’s history and 150th anniversary with a commemorative license plate. Voting for the winning designs is anticipated to begin in early 2023.