EPHS senior wins Tollway art contest

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Elmwood Park High School senior Dominika Rog (center) is the winner of the Distracted Driving category in the Illinois Tollway 2012 Map Cover Art Contest. Also pictured (left to right, top row): Richard Jacobsohn of Blick Art Materials, Illinois Tollway Board Chair Paula Wolff, Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur and Cindy O’Drobinak of U.S. Equities. Middle row: Arkadiusz Rog and art teacher Katie Mussio.

Updated: December 25, 2011 8:12AM

The Illinois Tollway announced Nov. 17 that Dominika Rog, a senior from Elmwood Park High School in Elmwood Park, received top votes in the 2012 Illinois Tollway Map Cover Art Contest. The contest was sponsored by the Illinois Tollway, Blick Art Materials and U.S. Equities.

The Tollway received 76 entries from student artists attending high schools throughout the region, from Chicago to Rockford. More than 10,000 votes by the general public were recorded online to identify nine finalists, with the overall winner and runners-up in each of the three contest theme categories selected by a panel of judges including members of the Tollway Board of Directors and representatives from U.S. Equities.

Rog’s winning entry was in theme category of Distracted Driving.

“I was inspired to create a design that would catch people’s attention and show them what could happen when you text and drive,” Rog said.

The artwork of the 30 semi-finalists was on display at each of the seven Illinois Tollway Oases during the public voting period from Oct. 17 to Nov. 1.

Rog’s artwork will be featured in the Tollway’s annual report. She also was presented with $200 in gift certificates from Blick Art Materials and $100 in gift certificates from U.S. Equities.

All students who participated in the contest will receive a certificate of appreciation from the Tollway.

The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 286 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80).