Voting Opens In New Iowa License Plate Design Contest

New license plate options!

For some of us, there's a level of personality that goes into your license plate, whether it's you paying for the vanity plates or if you've chosen a specialty plate benefiting a good cause.

Now, Iowa has launched voting for their Iowa Education License Plate Contest and they want you to pick your favorite.

The designs were made by kids in several age groups: grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12.

Time To Vote

Voting has now opened for you to pick your top 3 favorite designs. The finalists were picked based on "creativity, originality, artistic skill, and it's representation of celebrating Iowa education".

For a frame of reference, here's what the Education plate looks like now:

I'd show you some of the finalists, but you have to get into the voting Google Doc to see those. Here's where you'll see them and pick your top 3 favorite ones. The state says that the winning artwork will be chosen by May 1st and production will start on the new license plates then.

Education plates are an initial $35 fee to the school budget review committee then a $10 annual renewal fee to the same committee, and also the normal annual registration renewal fee. If you want the vanity plate, it's a $60 initial fee.

The 16 semifinalists in this contest (out of over 100 "qualified designs") were picked by a committee representing art teachers across the state. The winning student will be notified by May 20th and after June 1st, the other semifinalists' artworks will be on display at the Department.