The Alaska State Council on the Arts is soliciting Alaskans to select a new replacement for the aurora-themed license plate. It’s one of three choices from the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles since the year 2017. Winners of this design contest will be announced August. 26, at the Alaska State Fair.
A few minor changes are planned for the other license plates in Alaska Also, small changes are coming to the rest of Alaska’s license plates. The font used on all plates has been redesigned at the beginning of this year, and plates’ registration tabs — which are the stickers that show the year and month that a license expires — have been made bigger. The barcode is also located in the upper left corner to allow DMV use.
The changes are minor in comparison to the overhaul which is scheduled for July.
“This will be the coolest and most exciting license plate,” said Ben Brown chair of the Arts Council, of the coming license plate.
Brown Brown Alaska had issued 180,000 license plates with an aurora theme since the plates were first launched. The aurora-themed design will disappear when is the next Arts Council design is chosen.
“They are, by far and away, the most well-known license plates that are on the roads,” he said of the design currently in use.
The two other options for default designs — both that are free of chargeinclude a basic gold with blue letters, and a design with an upright, grizzly bear the middle.
Laws of the state permits the council to run an annual design contest every four years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the temporary shutdown to the committee in the wake of budgetary vetoes made by Governor. Mike Dunleavy delayed the second contest until the current year.
The semi-finalists, selected by the community celebrity juror out of over 100 entries, feature two fireweed-themed designs, the other with a sunset reflected against the mountains, another featuring an animal team and two designs with whales in them.
A whale-themed design is Southeast Alaska Native formline art created by Juneau artist Crystal Worl, whose design work was featured recently as a part of the back of an Alaska Airlines jet.
A winner from the ranked choice online vote will be awarded $1,000 and their logo will be sold at DMV offices throughout the state through 2027. Five semi-finalists will each receive $250.
Senator. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River was a judge on the panel that selected the semifinalists.
Other judges comprised Anchorage Photographer Jovell KTUU-TV’s meteorologist Jackie Purcell, Ketchikan artist Tim Troll, and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof who is a renowned snowboarder.
“I believe it’s an excellent opportunity to highlight the talents of our artists from around the world as well as draw attention to the council for arts,” Merrick said of the event.
The initial range of styles included designs that were “incredible,” she said and featured designs that went as far as a drunken yeti at Starbucks.
Judges narrowed down the choices from around 100 to about 20 she claimed before narrowing it down to six.
Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage and a judge, pointed out that judges were searching for designs that were understandable on a relatively small piece of artwork “something that allows you to be able to see the artwork and understand the text that appear on the license plate.”
This can be a challenging task to accomplish, Fields said.
Voting for the online contest is open until July 31st.
The story was originally published in Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
