Missouri students invited to participate in MoDOT's No MOre Trash! contest

Missouri Department of Transportation has created an educational contest for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The "Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free" trash-can decorating contest is part of the organization's annual No MOre Trash! statewide litter campaign, held each April. The deadline to submit is March 17.

The contest encourages students to decorate a 30-gallon or larger trash can with the "No MOre Trash!" logo as well as litter prevention messages. Students are encouraged to be creative with their designs and use recycled materials. School or homeschool programs may submit one trash can entry in each of three categories -- kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade and sixth through eighth grade.

Each entry will be judged based on creativity and the overall effective use of the theme and logo.

There is no entry fee for the contest. Participating school groups must submit a completed entry form with up to three photos and a release form by March 17.

The first-place winner from each of the three categories will receive $200 awarded to their sponsoring schools. All first-place winners are eligible for a grand prize of $600 and a trophy awarded to the sponsoring school. The grand-prize winner will have their trash can displayed at the MoDOT building at the State Fairgrounds during the State Fair in August, with permission of the winning school.

Contest rules, entry forms, release forms, logos, past winners and educational information may be found at www.modot.org/trash-can-contest.