Bus

2022 CATS Transit Pass Design Contest

Official Contest Rules

CATS Transit Pass Design Contest Official Rules

WHAT IS THE THEME OF THE CONTEST?

Participants will design art to be displayed on a CATS monthly pass promoting public transit in Charlotte. Your art must incorporate the theme of "What Moves You." You may interpret this in any conceptual way that you can visually represent without any text. Some fast facts about Charlotte Area Transit System and the technical guidelines can be found in this application.

WHO CAN ENTER THE CONTEST?

The contest is open only to legal residents living in North Carolina or South Carolina, who are at least 18 years of age. Submissions must be made by individuals. Group entries will not be accepted.

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE?

All entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20, 2022. Entries may be emailed to Larina.Green@charlottenc.gov or mailed to Charlotte Area Transit System, Attn: Larina Green,

600 E. 4th St., Charlotte, NC, 28202.

HOW WILL ALL THE ENTRIES BE JUDGED?

Entries will be judged by a committee consisting of transit staff members, City officials and local art professionals. Entries will be ranked to identify a first place winner, second place winner and third place winner. When evaluating the entries, the committee will consider the following:

    Does the design address the theme and promote multi-modal transportation in Charlotte in specific or general terms?

    Is the design eye-catching and well-composed?

    Is text absent from the design?

PRIZES FOR WINNERS

Three individual winners will be selected and announced. The winners' designs will be used on the 2023 monthly passes as follows: First Place – Local Monthly Pass; Second Place – Express Monthly Pass; and  Third Place – Express Plus Monthly Pass.

Winners will receive a 2023 monthly pass of their choice, and additional prizes will be awarded as follows: First Place – Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet; Second Place – Amazon Echo Dot speaker; Third Place – Amazon Fire TV Stick.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Larina Green at 704.432.4721 or Larina.Green@charlottenc.gov.  

CATS Fast Facts

  • CATS is the largest transit system between Atlanta, GA and Washington, D.C.

  • CATS services include bus, light rail, streetcar, vanpools and services for the disabled.

  • CATS has more than 60 local, express and regional bus routes.

  • The LYNX Blue Line is the first major rapid rail service of any kind in North Carolina and serves as a revival of rail transit within the city since the original streetcar network was discontinued in 1938.

  • The LYNX Blue Line rail line corridor features more than 1,000 instances of art from local and national artists,  including decorative fencing, murals, glass work, stonework and more.

  • Art is also integrated into various bus stops, light rail stations and bus depot facilities.

  • Safety and quality are integrated into everything that CATS does.

Technical Guidelines for Producing your Art

FOR ART PRODUCED BY HAND

Drawings, paintings, and 2-dimensional media should be completed on a smooth, white substrate showing adequate contrast for printed reproduction in vinyl (i.e., bold outlines and colors). To avoid contrast issues, DO NOT USE COLORED PENCILS OR CRAYONS. The art must fill the entire template enclosed. Art should be scanned or photographed to at least 600 dpi in JPEG or TIFF format. CMYK color format.

FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographs must be in digital format and taken at the highest resolution possible with a resolution of at least 300 dpi and in JPEG or TIFF format. Photographs must be cropped to fit the entire template enclosed. CMYK color format.

FOR DIGITAL ART

All files must be in vector format as a layered AI or EPS file. The art must fill the entire template enclosed. CMYK color format.

DESIGN TIPS

  • A design with large focal points will be more eye catching than a design with a lot of small elements.

  • Bright, bold colors will stand out better than softer, low contrasting colors.

  • Please do not sign your artwork.

  • Do not use any copyrighted material.

Designs containing sexually explicit, obscene, violent or other inappropriate content, as determined by CATS in its sole discretion, are ineligible for this contest. Please refer to full contest rules and guidelines for further information.

Official Contest Rules

CATS Transit Pass Design Contest Official Rules