Lottery Sponsors Art Contest to Celebrate 20th Anniversary
Louisiana residents at least 21 years of age will be invited to submit original artwork they feel best illustrates the Lottery's cultural and fiscal contributions to our state, utilizing the Lottery's anniversary campaign theme, 20 Years of Winning Numbers. The winning artwork will appear on a commemorative anniversary T-shirt to be distributed in conjunction with the Sept. 6, 2011, launch of the Lottery's 20th anniversary collection of scratch-off games.
"We think the contest will be a great way to showcase the creativity and artistic talent of our players as we rally around contributions the Lottery has made to our state," explained Lottery President Rose Hudson. "As a community, we love to celebrate with events, fairs and festivals dedicated to great food, music and what makes us uniquely 'Louisiana'. T-shirts commemorating those celebrations are very popular among our players."
Entries for the Lottery's 20th Anniversary T-Shirt Design Contestwill only be accepted electronically, and detailed entry specifications are being provided on a special contest website, www.louisianalottery.com/tshirt. The site also allows visitors to share the information on their Facebook pages or tweet news about the contest on Twitter.
The top three designs will be selected in May through a partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. These finalists and their designs will be featured in a web video showcased on the Lottery's website and social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.
One winning design will be selected from the three finalists via a Facebook fan vote and announced by July 1. Finalists will be encouraged to "get out the vote" and share the voter page with friends and family.
Finalists will each receive $500, with the winner receiving an additional $1,000, 20 T-shirts featuring their winning artwork, plus the chance to appear in the Lottery's publicity efforts for its 20th anniversary scratch-off tickets.
"For 20 years, we have produced winning numbers that give Louisianans plenty of reasons to smile, including more than $2.3 billion contributed to our state, more than $3 billion paid to winners and upwards of $350.8 million issued to retail partners since our inception," said Lottery President Rose Hudson. "Even considering today's economic realities, the Lottery continues to exceed revenue projections while transferring 35 percent of sales to help fund K-12 public education. That's the highest transfer percentage of any state lottery."
Louisiana Lottery games continue to be a popular pastime among adults. Fiscal year-to-date Lottery sales are up about 4 percent over 2010.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Lottery is launching special promotions all year long. In February, the Lottery utilized its Facebook fan page and players club to give away Mardi Gras parade rides in the Krewe of Thor Parade in Metairie. Michael Tebbe of New Orleans and Susan Shea of Baton Rouge were selected as winners in the promotion.
The Lottery also brought back its popular raffle game with a new twist that features five bonus drawings to win $20,000 in addition to offering the Lottery's best odds to win $1 million in a finale drawing that will occur May 12. The first two Millionaire Bonus Raffle drawings have been held, with the next scheduled for April 7. The earlier players purchase their tickets, the more chances they have to win.
In the fall, the Lottery will produce a series of anniversary themed scratch-off games that will launch 20 years to the day of its very first scratch-off game, Louisiana Treasures.
"Historically, the Louisiana Lottery has contributed so much to our state monetarily and culturally," Hudson noted. "It's been an enjoyable experience to celebrate those accomplishments with promotions, such as our T-shirt design contest, that involve and thank our players who helped make it happen."
More information on the Louisiana Lottery's anniversary activities and a look back on its 20-year history can be found by clicking here. The Lottery can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
