Lakota East and Lakota West students could see their artwork rolling down Butler County roads this winter if they land one of two spots in the county's "Paint the Plow" contest.

The Butler County Engineer's Office opened applications Friday, Aug. 14, for the second annual contest, which invites students in grades 8–12 to design and paint an actual snowplow blade around the theme of winter driving safety and the smart use of road salt. Two winning schools will be chosen, and their finished blades will be mounted on plows clearing county-maintained roads in each school's district all season.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11. According to the BCEO announcement, winners will be announced Sept. 14, with blades dropped off at the winning schools by Sept. 18. Students then have about a month to paint. Blades must be picked up no later than Oct. 18.

The contest is jointly sponsored by the Engineer's Office, the Butler County Storm Water District and the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District.

Last year's winners

New Miami High School and Madison High School won the inaugural contest in 2025. Their students painted safety-themed designs that rode county plows through the winter and were displayed at the Engineer's Office annual Snowplow ROADeo on Oct. 30, 2025.

Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens said in an October 2025 announcement that the program "allows students to see their artwork serve the community in a meaningful way."

How to enter

The application form is available online at the BCEO website. Designs must incorporate the school's identity and the winter-safety theme. The county operates 16 snow and ice control routes with 13,000 tons of salt stored across two barns, so winning designs will get plenty of road time.

With Lakota students back in class as of Thursday, Aug. 13, art departments at both high schools have about four weeks to pull a team together and submit. Questions can be directed to BCEO public information contact Betsy Horton at (513) 867-5744.