The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is accepting submissions for its third annual Earth Day Art Competition. This year’s theme is “Public Transportation is a Climate Solution.”
Young people across Maryland ages 5 through 17 are invited to be their most creative and insightful selves as they imagine the many things transportation can be: sustainable for the climate; ways of connecting to other people; paths to opportunity, and more. Once they reflect those ideas in their artwork, they can submit them to the MTA.
The finalists’ artwork will be featured on a specially wrapped bus, transforming each bus into a moving display of their vision for a sustainable transit future. The deadline to submit artwork is March 13, 2026.
Earth Day is April 22, 2026, and this year’s global theme is “Our Power, Our Planet.” The campaign calls on people to speak out in support of clean air, clean water, clean energy, and to protect natural resources for the living beings on our planet. The goal is stability for our climate, global health, and economic welfare. The first Earth Day took place in 1970, with 20 million people participating around the world.
“Creating a sustainable, equitable and inclusive public transit system for future generations can only be achieved by engaging our youth today,” said Holly Arnold, Maryland Transit Administrator. “This competition provides an opportunity for youth to share their vision for creating a better transit system that moves Maryland forward.”
In addition to being displayed on the wrapped buses, the selected finalists’ artwork will be shown in the Maryland State Department of Education Superintendent’s Student Gallery on Baltimore Street. Finalists will also be invited to a special Earth Day event to see their artwork revealed.
Details on the submission process are available on the MTA website.
