2025 Vintage Poster Contest
Project Background and Description
The Federal Art Act of 1937, among other things, helped promote the visitation of residents and international tourists to a newly created National Parks system. In recent years, the number of visitors and parks visited has increased substantially causing public lands officials to consider how best to manage these lands with the increased visitation. Today, the message to visitors and outdoor recreationists would be different if we were to create new promotional posters for visiting our national lands.
The State of the Rockies Conservation in the West Poll surveys people in the 8-state Rocky Mountain Region about their attitudes toward public land conservation and other current environmental, social, and political issues we face living in the West. The poll consistently demonstrates a growing desire to protect our nationally designated public spaces.
THE CONTEST
ENTER TO WIN:
1ST PLACE $700 2ND PLACE $500 3RD PLACE $250
Student VINTAGE poster
1930s
National Parks poster
In addition to the digital image, your submission must include an explanation of why or how your contemporary conservation motto is relevant to current conservation attitudes of residents in the 8-state Rocky Mountain West (highlighted in the Conservation in the West 2024 poll) and how or why your motto is relevant to the national park, monument, forest, you chose. Please submit a 150-word maximum justification for choosing the place you chose — explain to us why, how, and/or what conservation efforts are critical for the future of the public space your poster represents. This Bryce Canyon National Park poster is an example of a poster created during the Federal Art Project; the old vintage poster is now recreated as what students may come up with using their own imaginations and by exploring the survey results on public and national lands. Of course, this mock-up is more of a spoof; but witty text and images are welcome.
Please submit your entry to chines@coloradocollege.edu by MIDNIGHT on JANUARY 18, 2024. Use CC OneDrive to share large files.
WINNERS
1st Place Winner
GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK
Nevada
by Holden Perry, '25
The calm waters of Stella Lake in Great Basin National Park offer sanctuary for those seeking renewal amid ancient bristlecone pines. I chose this site for its delicate balance of remote beauty and the healing potential it provides—qualities increasingly valued by residents across the Rocky Mountain West. Findings in the 2024 Conservation in the West Poll underscore a growing consensus that our public lands play a key role in promoting mental well-being, yet face threats from overcrowding, climate change, and diminishing resources. My motto, “Nature Heals: Protect the Places That Restore Us,” reflects the urgency to safeguard these landscapes. By prioritizing responsible visitor management, adaptive resource strategies, and climate resilience, we can ensure that Stella Lake remains a restorative haven for generations to come, embodying both environmental conservation and the enduring human need for solace in the natural world.
Judges' Comments:
- Great reference to vintage national park art style
- Good use of color
- Clear and impactful statement
2nd Place Winner
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Colorado
by Callie Dickman, '28
The Colorado Rockies, an aspiring natural wonder, are home to vital alpine flora and fauna ecosystems. However, off-trail hiking has led to significant environmental damage, including soil erosion and the destruction of fragile wildflower meadows and wildlife habitats. The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics reports that 95% of trail damage results from hikers leaving the designated path. Staying on the trail encourages responsible stewardship, promoting the Indigenous concept of Seventh Generation preservation, which imagines a world where all species can prosper for generations to come. By sticking to designated trails, we can reduce human impact on these ecosystems and protect species like moose and elk among fields of Colorado Columbines and Indian Paintbrushes. Maintaining these lands today means safeguarding them for future generations, so, Preserve The Wild, Stay On The Trail.
Judges' comments:
- Creative expansion on traditional national park vintage style
- Beautiful color palette
- Well composed poster
- Clear message
3rd Place Winner
Grand Teton National Park
Wyoming
by Melissa Torres, '26
Grand Teton National Park was listed as the sixth most-mentioned and loved natural area in the Conservation in the West 2024 poll. It is renowned as one of the last nearly intact northern temperate ecosystems on Earth, however, climactic pressures have caused needed intervention for preservation. 66% of Westerners state that the effects of climate change are more significant, many of these issues being at their highest levels of concern in 14 years. Worries about declining fish and wildlife populations are at 86%, and climate change at 75%. Grand Teton has faced issues with its native fish, like the Fine-Spotted Cutthroat Trout, and grassland populations due to rising temperatures, invasive species, and human activity, impacting available food sources for all wildlife. I chose this park due to its increasing conservation efforts by educating the public on how they can get involved and help, which is our gateway for real change.
Judges' comments:
- Eye-catching poster
- Beautiful composition
- Creative style and good use of detail
- Good slogan
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Protect Our Headwaters - San Juan National Forest
Ensure Our Stability - Rocky Mountain National Park
by Rebekah Vaisman Spear, '28
Colorado
The Colorado River has always been looked at with great importance in the American Southwest, admired not only for its aesthetics but also its practicality. The lowering of its water affects those living in the seven states it runs through. Majority voters in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah argue that the River is critical to their state's economy, serving to explain a key reason many are so interested in protecting it. Those voters also say that the river is "in need of urgent action," 77% in Colorado. With extreme draughts on top of already dry climates, water conservation becomes increasingly crucial in order to protect wildlife, the broader environment, and even the economy. These waters are not only actual lifelines but metaphorical ones, ensuring the stability of our society and our planet."
Contest Guidelines
Contest Criteria
- Efficacy of your conservation motto and justification as they relate to conservation concerns reported by recent Conservation in the West poll findings
- Composition of poster
- Creative use of the historical national park poster style
- Use of color
- Impact of message
COPYRIGHT rules:
Colorado College reserves the right to use all student contest entries for academic and promotional purposes.
Students may use their original artwork in any way they choose but may not include any Colorado College identifiers as part of their original work when selling or promoting their poster creations.
CC stringently adheres to these rules and guidelines of this contest.
File Specifications
- Files must be saved as a JPEG/JPG or PNG.
- Posters should be at least 11” x 17”, but can be larger. Choose a size that works for your composition.
- Resolution of files should be 600 dpi (we need high-res files so that we can print them for display).
Need Help?
Contact Meghan Rubenstein (mrubenstein@coloradocollege.edu) in the Visual Resource Center!
Meghan and the student staff in the VRC are happy to have people come and learn Adobe on the computers in the VRC.
MEET THE JUDGES
Jillian Sico (she/her) is a papermaker, bookbinder, and letterpress printmaker who makes artists’ books under the imprint Frogsong Press. She received an MFA in Book Arts from The University of Alabama in 2020, where she focused on letterpress printing, papermaking, and fine bookbinding. She also received an MA in Environmental Anthropology from The University of Georgia in 2013 and a BA from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD in 2005. Her process is informed and expanded through collaboration and research on culture and ecology. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in numerous special and private collections. Jillian currently manages The Press at Colorado College.
Kaitlin Steinfort, '22 (she/her) is a Colorado College alum and former poster printer at The Press at Colorado College. In the summer of 2019, she took a Book Arts and Letterpress course at The Press at Colorado College and worked alongside Aaron Cohick and other students in the press through her senior year. During her final year on campus, Kaitlin combined her passion for environmental protection and education and her love for creating art in the press to help design and create the posters used to advertise the first State of the Rockies poster contest in 2021/2022. Now as an alum, Kaitlin works in the habitat management field and continues to work on her own art in a variety of media, hoping to continue finding and creating ways to use art as a tool for environmental advocacy, protection, and education. Kaitlin now works as an environmental technician for Tasman Geosciences!
Sponsored by the State of the Rockies Project and supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. For more information, EMAIL Cyndy Hines chines@coloradocollege.edu
CC letterpress students designed promotional posters for the 2024, 2023, and 2022 contests.
The 2025 posters are by
CC Rolls Vintage Press: Students Help Launch Vintage West Poster Contest
Colorado College students run campus letterpress producing vintage-style posters to help promote the college's State of the Rockies Conservation in the West student vintage poster contest.
CC State of the Rockies Vintage Poster Contest: What Makes a Good Poster?
CC vintage press printmakers share their ideas on what a winning poster should include. Learn what to include in your vintage poster contest submission.
Story and video by Eric Ingram, '23.