Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Students at Ridgely Elementary School were recognized during a special assembly celebrating young artists selected in the annual Illinois State Fair Postcard Contest.
The contest, now in its fourth year, invites kindergarten through fifth grade students to create original artwork inspired by the Illinois State Fair theme. This year’s theme was “Agriculture at the Fair.”
Winning entries from each grade level will become the official postcards of the 2026 Illinois State Fair and will be distributed to fairgoers during the fair in August. Organizers said the postcards are mailed by visitors to friends and family across the country.
“Every year the Illinois State Fair partners with Ridgely Elementary School to hold a postcard contest for the kids,” said Rebecca Clar, Illinois State Fair manager. “All the kids in all the grade levels, as part of their art curriculum, design a postcard and then the teachers will vote on a winner for each grade level, and then we recognize them at this assembly.”
Clark said the postcards are available inside the Emerson Building on the fairgrounds.
“Those postcards will then be printed and offered at the Illinois State Fair for free for individuals to send a note home, send one to their loved ones, and it’s a great way to honor our neighborhood school in the north end community,” Clark said.
She added that fairgoers can fill out the postcards and mail them free of charge.
“The State Fair is in their backyard, and so there’s just such a great sense of pride from kindergarten to fifth grade that you can see it, and that really comes through in those photos,” Clark said.
School officials said the partnership with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the State Fair also benefits students through support for field trips, school supplies and fair parking opportunities.
Fourth-grade winner Lamayah Holden said she was excited to receive recognition for her artwork.
“I just won a ribbon and a free pass to the Fair,” Holden said.
“I tried my hardest on the artwork so I could win,” she added.
Holden said her design featured one of the fair’s attractions.
“I drew the slide with a girl on it,” she said.
The winning postcard designs will be featured during the 2026 Illinois State Fair.
