Wild Entries Revealed in Ulster County ‘I Voted’ Sticker Contest

Six young Hudson Valley students are competing to have their artwork featured as an "I Voted" sticker this November.

In 2022, then-14-year-old Hudson Rowan made national headlines after his crazy artwork was selected in a contest held by the Ulster County Board of Elections to design their next "I Voted" sticker. The Marbletown teen created the image of a wild man with rainbow-colored teeth, red eyes and spider legs that set the Internet on fire and blew away the competition with over 225,000 votes.

This year, over 375 aspiring Hudson Valley artists submitted their own artwork in hopes of following in Hudson's famous footsteps. The entries range from patriotic to cute to downright bizarre.

Two of the most unique pieces of art come from Evelyn Nystrom at Kingston High School and Ryker Darmanian at Grant D. Morse Elementary School. Nystrom created the image of a sock puppet who appears to be staring directly into the soul of the voter. The 15-year-old artists created words, "I Voted," with items traditionally used for crafting.

Darmanian opted for a different approach, creating an alternate universe where the Statue of Liberty has the head of a confused slice of pizza. While we're unsure what the sixth grader's inspiration was for the image, we simply love the idea of slapping on this sticker after casting our ballot.

Another interesting entry comes from Scarlett Barnes, a ten-year-old student at Miller Middle School. Barnes created a three-eyed purple monster who appears to be very happy to have voted. The smiling creature is smiling and giving a thumbs-up while holding an "I Voted" sign.

More traditional entries include Kaylee Slade's patriotic duck and Celeste Fleisher's rainbow, but an angry voting shark created by Quentin Kemp from Saugerties once again demonstrates the level of creativity that's dominated this year's competition.

Online voting is now underway for the six finalists. As of Tuesday, early favorites include pizza-head Statue of Liberty and hypnotic sock puppet, but the patriotic duck is also gaining some strong support out of the gate.

You can cast your ballot now through August 15, when the winner will be announced and turned into the Board of Elections' official sticker. The new "I Voted" design will be available to voters in all Ulster County polling places this November.