With more than 2,600 votes recorded, a 5th grader from Missippippi won Saris Cycling Group's third annual poster contest.
Winner Hannah Pauls won a trip to Washington, D.C., for the 2014 National Bike Summit as her prize.
"We are thrilled to learn that a student from Mississippi won. It really means a lot to our state, which continues to battle obesity and inactive lifestyles among our youth" said Mississippi contest coordinator Lindsey Netherland. "Our partnership with Saris gives us the opportunity to engage children and inspire them to think about the benefits of riding a bicycle and living a more active lifestyle"
Besides Saris, contest sponsors included Schwinn, Planet Bike and Lazer.
More than 500 elementary schools participate from 27 different states. Students entered the contest by submitting posters focusing on the theme "Bikes Make Life Better." Individual winners were selected at the state level, with each receiving a Schwinn bike, Planet Bike bike light, and Lazer helmet. Each of the individual state winning posters was entered into the voting for the national winner.
Besides the trip, Hannah's school will receive bike parking for 20 bikes and The Hub, a web-based system that tracks and encourages active transportation.
"Over the past 20 years in the bike industry I have seen the bicycle positively change the lives of individuals as well as communities" said SCG president Chris Fortune. "In just the third?year, we have already witnessed the tremendous impact this contest can have on our youth. It is one way we are able to engage kids to think about and become more aware of the bicycle and its many beneficial uses. Through this contest we hope to not only encourage fifth graders to ride their bikes more frequently, but also to form the foundation of a lifelong healthy active lifestyle"
