Bus Wrap Art Contest 2025

Congratulations to Our 2025 Contest Winners!

Community Vote Winner - Gisela Swift: 

Thoughtful and optimistic, this design envisions a greener Charlottesville with clean transit, renewable energy, and more green space, showing how innovation and public transport can create a healthier, more connected community.

Panel Vote Winner- Courtney Massie: 

Thought-provoking and bold, this design plays on the idea of a carbon (big)footprint, using Bigfoot’s print and a Monarch butterfly to highlight the impact of our daily transportation choices. The imagery of Central Virginia’s natural beauty reinforces the call to protect the environment through small actions like riding the bus.

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What was the Sustainable Transit Art Contest? – CONTEST NOW FINISHED! 

Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) and the Office of Sustainability are excited to announce that the Sustainable Transit Art Contest has officially moved into the voting phase. Now is your chance to help decide which amazing design will wrap a CAT bus and inspire our community with the environmental benefits of public transportation.

Contest Timeline:

• Submission Period: Earth Day – Friday, July 4, 2025

• Community Voting: July 7- July 13, 2025

• Winner Announcement: July 16, 2025

About the Contest:
The Sustainable Transit Art Contest invited local artists to create designs highlighting how public transit benefits the environment. The winning artworks will transform our buses into moving canvases that inspire and educate Charlottesville and Albemarle communities.

Contest Theme: The Environmental Benefits of Public Transit

Public transportation is key to a cleaner, greener future. This art contest invites you to explore how transit helps protect our planet and build stronger, more connected communities.

Your artwork should highlight the eco-friendly impact of public transit and inspire others to view buses and shared mobility as solutions to today’s environmental challenges. Consider including themes like:

• Lower Emissions – Show how riding transit reduces air pollution and carbon footprints.

• Greener Cities – Imagine communities with less traffic and more parks, bike lanes, and walkable streets.

• Sustainable Innovation – Depict electric buses, hydrogen vehicles, or futuristic green transit ideas.

• Clean Air & Water – Illustrate how fewer cars lead to healthier air and waterways.

• Connected Communities – Capture how transit links people to jobs, education, and healthcare, while supporting equity and sustainability.

• Protecting Nature – Show how public transit helps conserve land, reduce sprawl, and protect wildlife.

Let your art spark change. Inspire others to think green, ride green, and imagine a cleaner tomorrow.

Eligibility: Open to individuals aged sixteen (16) and above residing within twenty-five (25) miles of the City of Charlottesville city borders. City Employees, their immediate family members, and individuals living in the same household are not eligible to participate.

Submission Requirements:

• Artwork Specifications:

  • Original, high-resolution design suitable for large-scale reproduction.

  • Dimensions: Download the official templates & terms and conditions

  •  Bus type: 35-foot Gillig buses

  • Formats accepted: 

    • Submission file: PNG OR JPEG file

    • Bus wrap official file (if chosen winner): Vector-based files (.ai, .eps) or high-resolution raster files (.tiff, .psd) at 300 dpi.

      • Recommended programs for Vector files: Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.

      • Information on vector graphics: www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/vector-graphics.

      • Winners will be contacted to help get these final files ready for printing.      

• Accompanying Statement:

  • A brief description explaining the concept and how it relates to sustainability and the benefits of public transportation. 

• ** ONLY DIGITAL DESIGNS THAT CLEARLY SHOW DESIGNS FOR ALL SIDES OF THE BUS WILL MOVE ON TO THE VOTING PHASE. 

Click here to visit the voting page!

Download the official templates & terms and conditions

 Submission Requirements: 

Selection Process:

• Community Choice: One winner will be selected through public voting held online.

• Judges' Choice: A second winner will be chosen by a panel of judges, ensuring a diverse and experienced selection committee.

Prizes:

• Two winning designs will be announced on July 16, 2025.

• Each artist of the selected designs will receive a prize of $750.

• The winning artworks will be displayed on CAT buses for a minimum of two years, with artist credits prominently featured.

Templates and Media Kit:

Download the official templates & terms and conditions

Submissions and voting, click below:

Click here to visit the voting page!