Great River Regional Library's Card Design Contest Winners

What if your library card had a little more personality?

Great River Regional Library has announced the winners of its Library Card Design Contest.

OVER 400 ENTRIES SHOW LOVE TO OUR LOCAL LIBRARIES

The contest was open to people of all ages in the Great River Regional Library service area. Participants were invited to create a design showing why they love their library,
and a lot of people took them up on the challenge. Great River Regional Library received 445 entries from 324 children, 48 teens, and 52 adults.

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FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES

The winners were selected across four different age categories.

CHILDREN'S CATEGORY WINNER

In the children's category, 8-year-old Antolina from St. Michael was the winner. Eleven-year-old Maisie from Becker was the runner-up, while 9-year-old Mayumi, also from St. Michael, received an honorable mention.

TEEN CATEGORY WINNER

The teen winner was 15-year-old Mallory from Elk River. Lillie Mae, 13, from St. Cloud was the runner-up, and 14-year-old Zachary from Waite Park received an honorable mention.

ADULT CATEGORY WINNER

In the adult category, Corey from Grey Eagle was the winner. Elena from Monticello was the runner-up, and Becky from Elk River received an honorable mention.

STAFF CATEGORY WINNER

There was also a staff category for Great River Regional Library employees. Amanda, a St. Cloud Library Associate, was the winner. Eric, the Circulation and Distribution Coordinator, was the runner-up, and Jane, a Tech Services Clerk, received an honorable mention.

Grandma’s Kitchen Skills Are Making A Comeback

The winning designs aren't just going to sit in a display case.

THE NEW CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 1ST WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Starting September 1st, the winning designs will be available as library card options at Great River Regional Library locations while supplies last. The hardest part for you will be trying to decide which card design you want to choose. You can only choose one design.

WHO CAN GET THEIR NEW LIBRARY CARDS

Existing cardholders can upgrade their card for $1 and choose one of the new designs. The design selection needs to be made in person at a library and comes with a new barcode, so if you are someone who memorizes their barcode and don't want a new number, you may want to wait for your current library card to come due.

If you don't have a library card yet, September is a pretty good time to get one.

And I think that's one of the coolest parts of this contest. These aren't designs created by professional artists hired by the library. They're designs submitted by people in the communities that Great River Regional Library serves.

Kids, teenagers, adults, and library employees all got a chance to show what the library means to them.

Now their creativity is going to be carried around in wallets and purses throughout Central Minnesota.

Not bad for a library card. Congratulations again to all of this year's winners!

Sparky Seal

In 2022, Como Park Zoo celebrated the Summer of Sparky with twenty-one custom Sea Lion statues, hand-painted by local artists, placed throughout the Twin Cities, featuring water conservation messaging and weekly events. Now the statues can be seen throughout Como Park Zoo year-round. Check out pictures of some of the Sparkys below.

Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt