The Registrar of Voters office has officially announced the winners of its “I Voted” sticker design contest for Newtown students in grades 5-12.

Fifth grader Bennett Depasquale, seventh grader Eva Hawley, and tenth grader Annika Van Sickle each won in their respective category of the “I Voted” sticker design contest.

They each received a button with their artwork on it, and stickers with their designs will be handed out in the Presidential Election in November at the schools of their age group.

Student submissions were divided into three different age groups for the contest: grades 5-6, grades 7-8, and grades 9-12. Depasquale was the winner of the grades 5-6 category, Hawley was the winner of the grades 7-8 category, and Van Sickle was the winner of the grades 9-12 category.

Three judges were selected by the Registrar of Voters to pick the winners: Newtown Lions Club member and Keeper of the Flagpole Chris Gardner, local artist Rhonda Cullens, and Superintendent of Schools Chris Melillo.

Republican Registrar Erica Canfield said that the Registrar of Voters was very pleased with their first attempt at holding the contest, and that they were grateful to the judges for doing a great job and helping them with the contest.

Students who wanted to participate needed to be Newtown residents, and their artwork had to include the year 2024 and the words “I Voted” somewhere in their design. Their artwork also had to be Newtown-themed and their original work. Designs could not be political and had to be drawn in the sticker template provided by the Registrar of Voters.

Artwork had to be submitted to the Registrar’s office in the Newtown Municipal Center by May 1 in order to qualify.

Democratic Registrar LeReine Frampton previously told The Bee when announcing the contest in the February 23, 2024 issue of the newspaper that the local office of Registrar of Voters was inspired by Windham’s “I Voted” sticker design contest for last year’s election.

“The town of Windham started this last year, and we thought it sounded like something good to get people aware and excited for the upcoming election,” Frampton told The Newtown Bee. “It also reminds parents to go out as well and to get them involved.”

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.