Kansas Bicycle Map Photo Contest now underway

Kansas is home to many incredible views and opportunities to see some of the greatest sunsets in the world, but have you ever seen Kansas up close while riding a bike? If you have or if you plan to in the near future, we want to see what you see when you travel Kansas on two wheels! Our first Kansas Bicycle Photo contest is currently underway, and we need to hear from you!

Comprehensive Transportation Planning Manager Matthew Messina said that the best thing about biking in Kansas is that the state has plenty to offer, whether you’re a commuter, a recreational rider or even a racer.

“Kansas has a wide range of terrain and scenic landscapes that help make biking fun and enjoyable every time you ride,” Messina said.

KDOT’s Bureau of Transportation Planning is responsible for producing the State Transportation maps, including the Kansas Bicycle Map.

“The current issue of the Kansas Bicycle Map is for 2018-2019, which means an updated version will become available in Spring 2020 for 2020-2021—and this map needs a new cover” Messina said. 

 “We wanted to open the opportunity to Kansans to submit their favorite photos of biking in our great state and to be featured on our widely distributed map. For example, KDOT has distributed nearly 25,000 copies of the 2018-2019 Kansas Bicycle Map to 24 states—that’s pretty solid publicity.”

The contest is open to Kansans of all ages and abilities, from all walks of life who enjoy biking or taking photos of bicyclists. KDOT is looking for any photo that captures the spirit, fun and adventure of biking in Kansas. Any Kansas resident is eligible to enter if they complete the waiver and release forms that are part of the electronic submission process.

Participants in the contest can enter by visiting https://kdotapp.ksdot.org/BPC/ and uploading up to two photos per contestant. Entries are due by Nov. 1.

Want to learn more about biking in Kansas?

KDOT provides a lot of information related to biking on its “Walking and Bicycling in Kansas” webpage: http://www.ksdot.org/burRail/bike/default.asp

And since biking is major tourism attraction, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism has a lot of information related to cycling activities around the state on their cycling webpage: https://www.travelks.com/things-to-do/sports-recreation/cycling/

KDOT photo contest winners announced

The Kansas Department of Transportation releases the print copy of its annual report each January and the upcoming issue will feature two incredible photos on the front and back covers.

Lorraine D. Palmer's winning entry of K-14 in Lincoln County will be featured on the cover of the next annual report.  

KDOT received more than 70 entries from across the state. The first-place winner is Lorraine Palmer, who sent in a photo of K-14 in Lincoln County, and it will be featured on the front cover.

“I am a transplant that has been here for 34 years,” Palmer said. “Kansas is a beautiful place and I love photographing its many colors, moods and seasons.”

Palmer said this is the first photography contest she has won.

“It’s very special to me,” Palmer said. “This photo is one of my favorite locations that really shows the vast beauty of Kansas. I always get comments on the surprising beauty from friends and family that do not live here.”

Linda Hamlin's photo of a foggy morning on a Kansas highway took second place and will be featured on the back cover of the next annual report. 

The second-place photo was taken by Linda Hamlin and it depicts a foggy morning on a Kansas highway. It will be featured on the back cover of the annual report.

This year’s photo contest was judged by a panel of professional photographers and KDOT officials.

Help us tell the story of transportation in Kansas: Photo contest

The Kansas Department of Transportation releases the print copy of its annual report each January to legislators, local officials, stakeholders and media. The magazine-format report is rich in color and photography, and this year, KDOT is engaging the public to help tell its story.

“We’re very excited to get original content from photographers across the state,” said Mallory Goeke, KDOT Communications Specialist. “Our state has very diverse landscapes and scenic byways, and it’s exciting to build an entire magazine around great photos.”

The theme of the contest will be Road Trip, and submitted photos should focus on landscapes, byways and transportation to places in Kansas. KDOT will begin taking photo submissions from the public Sept. 10,and the open call will end Nov. 1. 

Professional and amateur photographers are invited to submit photos. All photos should include caption information and sent to kdot.contest@ks.gov. The winning photo will be featured on the front cover of the annual report. By submitting photos, participants grant KDOT permission to freely use and share photos throughout social media and in publications.

Other selected photos may appear inside the annual report and in the KDOT Quick Facts booklet. All photographers will be credited for any photos used in any KDOT public information materials.

“We’re encouraging photographers to be creative about transportation,” Goeke said.

Entries may be submitted for consideration in low resolution, but all selected photos must be made available in high resolution with a minimum of 300 DPI and without watermarks. Photographers will not be paid for any photos selected for use. KDOT does not sell any of its public information materials and will not make a profit from the use of any photos. Examples of past annual reports and quick facts can be viewed at https://www.ksdot.org/publications.asp. More information will be shared across our social media pages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Creative contests encourage teens to Put the Brakes on Fatalities

Kansas kids can win great prizes and learn about traffic safety by participating in poster and video contests as part of the annual Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day safety campaign.

Poster contest: For Kansas kids ages 5 to 13 - three statewide winners will each receive:

sKindle Fire Tablet and case from the Kansas Turnpike Authority;

s$50 gift card from Wal Mart;

s$50 Amazon gift card from the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store

Association of Kansas;

sMovie passes from AAA Kansas.

A total of 18 regional winners in the six regions and age groups (ages 5-7, ages 8-10 and ages 11-13) will receive a bicycle from the KTA and a helmet from Safe Kids Kansas. Poster entries must be postmarked by Friday, Sept. 21. Information and entry forms are available here.

Video contest: For Kansas teens in grades 8-12. Prizes include an iPad, a Go Pro and a DJI Osmo camera, and the school of the grand prize winner will receive $500 for its school, class or booster club. Video entries must be posted by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30. Information to submit entries is available here

The Kansas Department of Transportation, the KTA,  the Kansas Highway Patrol and other traffic safety organizations are sponsoring the contests.

2017 poster contest winners:

Northeast Kansas

Avik Jain, Topeka; Austin Lamb, Osage City; and Alyson Welch, Overland Park

North Central Kansas

Lacie McLaughlin, Solomon; Breken Coup, Solomon; and Tanner Staedtler, Inman

Northwest Kansas

Aineka Burton, Norton; Peyton Isernhagen, Norton; and Dashiell Brown; and Quinter

Southeast Kansas

Makiah Woods, Bronson; Emily Britt, Columbus; and Marion Ryan, Parsons

South Central Kansas

Nora Ackermann, Andover; Alex and Abby Williams, Douglass; and Abilgail Yocum, El Dorado

Southwest Kansas

Jaylee Eckhoff, Meade; Jennicah Pinchon, Garden City; and Kathya Guillen, Garden City

2017 video contest winners:

Students from Eudora High School won first place. The class received their choice of an iPad, GoPro or Osmo Steadicam along with a $500 donation to the school.

Andrew Tabb from Shawnee Mission West High School captured second place. Kodi Rogers and Aly Tarrango from Scott City High School placed third in the video contest. Each received one of the remaining prizes listed above.

Aviation Art Contest now accepting entries

The KDOT Division of Aviation officials are encouraging young artists take their talents to new heights by participating in the 2018 International Aviation Art Contest, "Flight Into the Future.”

The contest, for which there is no entry fee, is for artists ages 6 to 17 years of age and is intended to encourage creative kids to imagine what the future of aviation will be.

What new innovations and ideas will shape the aviation of the future? From hang gliders and parachutists, to drone pilots and citizen astronauts, the only limit to the future of flight is the imagination of builders, dreamers and pilots of today. It’s time to tap into your own imagination, grab your favorite set of crayons, markers, pencils, or paints and create a poster for this year’s Fédération Aéronautique Internationale’s theme, Flight into the Future. Show us your vision of what can happen when people work together and follow their passion for flight

Artists will compete in age groups:

• Those born between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2011
• Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2007
•  And Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2003

The top three state winners from each age group will have their work entered in the national competition. The three winners in each group at the national level will then have their entries considered in international competition.
State winners will receive a certificate and state recognition; national winners will receive certificates, ribbons and a framed reproduction of their artwork; and international winners will receive certificates and medals.

The deadline for entries, which cannot be computer-generated and must be submitted in 11¾-by-16½-inch format, is Jan. 19, 2018.

For more information and contest rules, go here.

Poster winner donates prizes to kids in need

Austin Lamb, pictured in the center,  a regional winner in the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day poster contest donates his prizes to school children in need. 

Normally when someone wins a prize, the winner keeps everything for themselves. For one youngster, winning means giving to others in need.

Austin Lamb, a statewide and regional winner of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Put the Brakes on Fatalities poster contest, takes an extra interest in participating each year.

His interest stems from when his dad was hit by a car while on duty as an Osage County Sheriff’s Office Deputy. Lamb witnessed the accident and now actively promotes traffic and law enforcement safety by entering this contest.

This is Lamb’s way of trying to make a difference at this age. His poster this year encourages drivers to pay attention when you see those in uniform helping stranded motorists.The various officers assisting communities across Kansas are keeping us safe  and Lamb wants everyone to keep officers safe as well.

Austin Lamb's winning design encourages drivers to pay attention when officers are assisting other motorists. 

For being a statewide and regional winner, Lamb won several prizes including:  A new bike, a bike helmet, a Kindle Fire Tablet and case, a $50 Amazon gift card and a $50 Wal-Mart card. 

This is the second year that Lamb was the regional poster contest winner and this year he is donating his bike from last year to a child in need.  Lamb also plans to donate the new Kindle Fire Tablet, tablet case, and Amazon gift card to his school. These gifts from Lamb will be raffled or auctioned off; and all proceeds will be used to purchase sports balls for elementary students to use for recess. 

Lamb would like to thank the group of people that attended his presentation:  His dad Richard, his mom Nancy, his sister Taylor, and his Grandma Beverly. He would also like to thank Lieutenant Dax Lewis of the Kansas Highway Patrol, Deputy Scott Brenner of the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Robert Brenner of the Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the Osage City Chief of Police Fred Nech.