SLO County airports ask students to imagine the future for its first calendar design contest
By Libbey Hanson[
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What does the future of flight look like?
That's what the San Luis Obispo County Department of Airports is asking K-12 students this year for its first ever calendar design contest.
With the theme "Wings Over SLO CAL: From the hills to the sea, show us how aviation connects to where we live," Deputy Director of Planning and Research Courtney Pene said the department wanted to enhance civic engagement and figured what better way than through the young minds and leaders of the future.
"I mentioned the idea, and people just really glommed on with excitement because it is stepping outside of our normal everyday routine. And everybody loves engaging kids here," she said.
The future of flight looks like anything that kids can imagine it to be, she said.
"My son is 3 and he loves helicopters and butterflies. So, it could be some metamorphosis of that. It could be drones. The future of flight could look like autonomous aircraft or just bigger commercial planes, maybe it's military aircraft," Pene said. "Really trying to kind of tap into the imagination of youth artists and help them kind of help us dream about what that next future phase looks like."
Submissions are open until Oct. 20, and any student aged "zero to 18," from any SLO County school or home school, can enter. The top 12 will be selected by a committee and featured in a monthly 2026 calendar that will be available for free at the airport in January.
"We're hoping that we just get millions of these entrants," Pene said, "and what's really fun is that we are going to invite the young artists that have been selected to present to our Board of Supervisors at the very first meeting in January to present them with the calendar and then also to receive some recognition for their hard efforts too."
In return, she said, the whole experience will teach kids about civic duty.
"As a little, you're not really quite sure about going to a meeting—sitting and having patience is one part," she said. "Then getting to show off their artwork in front of the Board of Supervisors I think will be really fun. So it's a two-pronged approach."
Pene said another part of the fun is to see the different versions of flight that each applicant will submit, based on the age groups, as well as what forms of aviation are seen around the Central Coast.
"The air ambulances and Mercy Air are our primary in this area for transport for medical needs, and it's really neat when kids can identify them and say, like, 'Oh, Mom, did you know that that's what this does?'" she said. "Or whenever we're on the beach, we see the Coast Guard, and the Coast Guard lands at our airport and does all those things."
According to its website, the rules for entering are simple. Applicants must be K-12 and can only submit one entry per student. The illustration must be hand drawn, with no use of AI, tracing, or digital edits, and entries must be sent to 975 Airport Drive, suite 1, Attention: Calendar Contest, by Oct. 20.
Another opportunity to apply will be on Sept. 20 at the Oceano Airport where the county is hosting Girls in Aviation Day. One of the activities is to draw a picture to imagine the future of flight.
"They can enter it right there, so they don't have to send it to the airport or anything like that," Pene said. "Or you can take a stamped envelope and then mail it in."
For more information, visit: sloairport.com/contest.
Fast fact
• Celebrating its 20 years, ECOSLO is hosting its annual Creeks to Coast Cleanup on Sept. 20, part of California Coastal Cleanup Day. ECOSLO has mobilized volunteers at this event since 2005, removing tons of waste from sensitive ecosystems from San Simeon to Nipomo. In 2024, volunteers collected nearly 8,000 pounds of trash from our local waterways. Volunteers are requested to register ahead of time. To learn more visit: ecoslo.com/creeks-to-coast. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Libbey Hanson at lhanson@newtimesslo.com.
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