PSF logo contest attracts 521 student designs

 Four hundred forty-two Texas public high school students submitted 521 unique designs in the Brand the Fund logo contest, sponsored by the State Board of Education.

The goal of the design contest was to create a logo for the Texas Permanent School Fund (PSF), a state treasure that traces its history back to 1845 when a new state constitution established a perpetual education fund.

Through the continued prudence and diligence of the State Board of Education, the PSF is today the nation’s largest educational endowment. It provides funding each year for every Texas public school student and funds free textbooks for students. The fund also helps pay for technology and guarantees local bonds, saving taxpayers more than $150 million and ensuring that more bond funds go to school construction projects with less spent paying  interest

The State Board of Education this summer embarked upon an effort to raise the PSF’s public profile and wanted students to be part of this effort. Rather than hiring a professional graphic designer, it asked students to design and submit a logo.

A five-member judging panel made up of a State Board of Education member, a Permanent School Fund administrator, and three graphic artists reviewed the 521 entries in November and narrowed the field to 10 finalists.

The State Board of Education reviewed the finalists and selected a winner and runner-up, pending legal review. Lawyers are reviewing the final designs to make sure there are no trademark conflicts.

The winners of the contest will be announced during the next board meeting on Feb. 1. The winner will receive a cash prize of $3,000 and the runner-up will receive a $1,000 prize. Funding for the awards have been raised by individual contributions from the board members themselves.