The Oklahoma Shift Bookmark Design Challenge Winners

⭐️Celebrating Student Voice, Creativity, and the Power of Reading🌟

Meet the Winners

After carefully reviewing every submission, we selected seven winning designs that captured the heart of this challenge.

These students stood out for their creativity, originality, and ability to express the importance of reading in a meaningful way.

James Morton, Washington Public Schools

Aaliyah Teehee and Maloree Beach, Maryetta Public Schools

John Wilmer, Duncan Public Schools

Sara Johnson, Leah Cornforth, and Addi Lorris, Elmore City Schools

Their designs have now been turned into real bookmarks and are being distributed across bookstores, libraries, schools, and community spaces throughout Oklahoma.

This is more than a contest. It’s a way to share student creativity with the entire state.

Last year, Oklahoma Citizens for Education launched the Oklahoma Shift Bookmark Design Challenge with a simple goal-

Celebrate reading across Oklahoma.

We invited students from Kindergarten through 8th grade to design a bookmark inspired by what reading means to them. What followed was something truly special.

We received nearly 400 submissions from across the state; each one unique, thoughtful, and full of imagination. Students shared not only their artistic talents, but their perspectives on reading, learning, and connection.

From classrooms in small towns to schools in larger districts, one thing was clear:

Oklahoma students have something to say and it’s worth listening to.

Why This Matters

At Oklahoma Citizens for Education, we believe something deeply:

Our schools have what it takes to rise.

The talent is here.

The creativity is here.

The potential is here.

and it deserves to be seen, supported, and celebrated.

This challenge was about more than art. It was about:

• Encouraging students to engage with reading

• Creating opportunities for expression

• Connecting schools with their communities

• Reminding all of us why literacy matters

When students are given the opportunity to create, they show us what’s possible.

What Students Had to Say

As part of the challenge, we asked students one simple question:

“What do you like most about reading with adults and friends?”

Here are just a few of their responses:

“Reading is fun with people you love.”

— Emilia, 3rd Grade

“It makes me feel calm.”

— Jocelyn, 3rd Grade

“I like that reading can take you quite literally anywhere you want using your imagination.”

— Ari, 5th Grade

“My favorite thing is that I can get lost in the book.”

— Dylan, 8th Grade

“I love getting to sit, get off our devices, and be together.”

— Caroline, 5th Grade

“Reading is magical and can take you to beautiful places like the wildflower fields of Oklahoma.”

— Evelyn, 5th Grade

These words are a powerful reminder:

Reading is connection. Reading is imagination. Reading is opportunity.

Where to Find the Bookmarks (A list of retailers coming soon)

The winning bookmarks are now circulating across Oklahoma.

You can find them in:

• Local bookstores

• Libraries

• Schools

• Community shops and spaces

Many locations are offering them for a small donation, helping support literacy initiatives and classroom resources across the state.

How You Can Be Part of It

This initiative belongs to all of us.

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Pick up a bookmark and support Oklahoma schools

• Share the story with your community

• Encourage students to read and create

• Follow Oklahoma Citizens for Education for more initiatives like this

Looking Ahead

This is just the beginning.

The Oklahoma Shift Bookmark Design Challenge showed us what happens when we give students a platform and a purpose.

We saw creativity.

We saw pride.

We saw possibility.

And most importantly we saw a reminder that the future of Oklahoma education is already sitting in our classrooms.

Oklahoma is full of potential. And it starts with our students.