At a Glance
- DART Student Art Contest opens to K-12 students across North Texas
- Theme “Discover new horizons” must appear in every entry
- Winning designs will wrap buses, trains, and appear in galleries
- Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday, February 13, 2026
- Why it matters: Your child’s artwork could be seen by thousands of daily riders
Art that moves-literally. The annual DART Student Art Contest is back, and this year the transit agency will plaster winning drawings on buses, trains, and station walls instead of keeping them locked in a classroom.
Derrick M. Collins reported that News Of Fort Worth and Telemundo 39 have partnered with Dallas Area Rapid Transit to invite every K-12 student in the region to dream up a design that celebrates public transportation and the contest theme, “Discover new horizons.”
How the Contest Works
Students must fold DART into their artwork. Acceptable elements:
- The DART logo
- A DART bus, train, streetcar, or the new Silver Line rail cars
- A DART facility such as a station or transit center
- The word “DART” in any style
The phrase “Discover new horizons” must also appear somewhere in the design.
Entries have to be:
- 11 inches high × 17 inches wide
- Formatted horizontally
- Drawn or painted on heavy paper-poster, tag, or illustration board
- Colorful (DART discourages black-and-white submissions)
Mail or hand-deliver the finished piece to DART Headquarters in downtown Dallas before 5 p.m. on Friday, February 13, 2026. Online uploads will not be accepted.
Prizes and Public Display
Winners score more than bragging rights. DART will award cash and prizes, and the top pieces will:
- Wrap the outside of buses and trains
- Hang in galleries around the region
- Appear inside stations and on platforms
Selected students will be invited to a private recognition ceremony and reception.
Teaching Transit’s Value
Organizers say the contest does double duty: it showcases young talent and reminds families that every DART ride-whether on a bus, GoLink van, TRE commuter train, Dallas Streetcar, M-Line Trolley, or the new Silver Line-can lead to an undiscovered corner of North Texas.
“Every stop is an adventure waiting to happen,” officials wrote in the contest announcement.
Quick Checklist for Parents
Before your child drops a finished piece in the mail:
- Does the artwork include DART (logo, vehicle, facility, or word)?
- Is “Discover new horizons” clearly written on the page?
- Is the paper exactly 11″ × 17″ and turned sideways?
- Is the submission headed to DART HQ before the February 13, 2026 cutoff?
Complete rules and the mailing address are posted on the official contest page linked by News Of Fort Worth.
Key Takeaways
- Open to every K-12 student
- Free to enter; no online submissions
- Winning art becomes moving public murals
- Deadline: 5 p.m., February 13, 2026
