Voters across Bernalillo County will encounter a distinct showcase of homegrown youth creativity at polling locations this November, as a dozen talented Albuquerque Public Schools students have been selected as the official winners of the county’s latest "I Voted" sticker design contest. Their colorful, handcrafted illustrations will be printed and distributed as the official lapel badges handed out to residents who cast their ballots in the upcoming general election.
The ongoing civic art initiative marks the third consecutive year that students from Albuquerque Public Schools have been invited to create the official election stickers for Bernalillo County. County election officials and district administrators have continued this annual collaboration to connect young people with the electoral process while offering local voters an authentic, meaningful piece of student-created artwork to proudly wear on Election Day.
For the latest round of the competition, organizers challenged participants to create artwork aligned with the central theme of "Voting is Your Superpower." The inspirational prompt encouraged young people across every grade level to reflect on the strength, civic responsibility, and transformative community impact that comes with participating in democratic elections. The theme resonated broadly across the school system, generating roughly 500 individual artistic submissions from students spanning kindergarten through the twelfth grade.
Michelle Sanchez-St. Andre, the visual arts director for Albuquerque Public Schools, emphasized the significance of the competition's wide reach and the remarkable diversity of creative interpretations submitted by local children. She highlighted that the twelve selected artworks provide an outstanding representation of the district's K-12 student body, successfully bringing together imaginative takes on the superhero concept alongside heartfelt visual tributes celebrating the culture and landscape of New Mexico.
The twelve winning artists, who developed their entries while enrolled in grades ranging from second through eleventh grade, received formal community recognition during a Wednesday meeting of the Bernalillo County Commission. At the public gathering, local leaders and commissioners celebrated the students for their artistic skill and acknowledged their valuable contribution toward promoting civic engagement and community participation in the upcoming electoral process.
A defining characteristic across many of the winning designs is the vibrant fusion of traditional New Mexican symbols with the overarching theme of democratic participation. The chosen sticker concepts prominently feature cherished regional imagery, incorporating colorful depictions of desert cactuses, native roadrunners, green and red chile peppers, and Albuquerque’s world-famous hot air balloons drifting gracefully across southwestern skies.
The elementary school division produced several standout entries from young artists across the city. Second-grader Zoey Harris from John Baker Elementary School earned top honors, alongside fourth-grader Bryce Tumpane from Oñate Elementary School and fifth-grader Elias Silva from Coronado Elementary School, each displaying an impressive early ability to communicate civic messages through original visual design.
Among the fifth-grade honorees, Maya Flores Leggett of Sandia Base Elementary School drew inspiration directly from her personal family life when crafting her award-winning submission. Her design portrays a girl wearing a flowing superhero cape and a T-shirt adorned with the Zia sun symbol, a character directly modeled after herself and her sister, who both share the same brown hair depicted in the drawing.
Flores Leggett, who has since turned 11 years old and transitioned into the sixth grade at the Albuquerque School of Excellence, expressed excitement over seeing her artwork selected for countywide distribution. She described the experience of being chosen as "amazing," sharing how meaningful it is to know that her personal design will be handed directly to thousands of voters across the community.
The middle school category also demonstrated remarkable creative depth, with winning entries selected from multiple campuses across the district. The honored middle school artists included sixth-grader Catalina Jaramillo from Tony Hillerman Middle School, seventh-grader Sarah Salazar from Eisenhower Middle School, and eighth-graders Gwendalyn-Grace Schuh and Kylee Randolph, both representing Roosevelt Middle School.
High school students contributed highly polished and imaginative concepts, reflecting both sophisticated artistic techniques and deep civic pride. Sandia High School eleventh-grader Rose Griesmeyer secured a winning spot, while Volcano Vista High School achieved an exceptional showing by sweeping three eleventh-grade awards with honorees Lianna Tran, Joni Estonactoc, and Micah Solomon.
Among the high school winners, Solomon embraced modern digital media by utilizing a computer illustration program rather than relying on traditional physical drawing tools. Now a 17-year-old senior at Volcano Vista High School, Solomon designed a composition featuring superheroes set against the recognizable silhouette of the local skyline, explaining that he specifically wanted to incorporate the city of Albuquerque directly into his finished piece.
As Bernalillo County prepares for the approaching November general election, these twelve student designs will serve as a bridge between public school classrooms and local polling precincts. By proudly wearing the commemorative stickers, voters throughout the area will celebrate not only their own exercise of the democratic franchise, but also the vibrant artistic talent and civic awareness of Albuquerque's next generation.
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