MoDOT sponsors the No MOre Trash! Trash-Can-Decorating Contest as part of Missouri's "No MOre Trash!" campaign to raise awareness and discourage littering. The contest encourages Missouri students to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the "No MOre Trash!" logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative mediums.
See the 2026 winners below.
The 2027 contest will open on Nov. 30, 2026.
The Rules
- Decorate a 30-gallon (or larger) trash can to be located in a prominent area of the school or community (cafeteria, gymnasium, ball field, library, church, park, etc.).
- Each design must include the No MOre Trash! logo and a litter-prevention slogan. Download your choice of the No MOre Trash! logo below.
- Artistic media choices can include but are not limited to: paint, fabric, glitter, crayon, wax, paper, photos, etc. Use of recycled materials is encouraged but not required.
- Only entries submitted by Missouri schools, including home schools, will be accepted. Schools may submit one entry in each category: grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
- Schools must submit a release form for MoDOT use of their photo(s) in the event that the school is one of the winners. Download the release form below.
- Entries must consist of the completed entry form below, up to three photographs of the decorated trash can (photos must be in-focus, provide clear images of the project, and one should include participants) and the signed release form. A video of the project is encouraged with submission, but it is not required.
- No entry fee is required!
The Prizes
- $400 and a trophy will be awarded to one entry in each competition category.
- The school submitting the grand prize entry will receive an additional $600 and a grand prize trophy, for a total of $1,000 and two trophies.
- With permission of the school, the grand prize winner will have their trash can displayed at MoDOT's Highway Gardens building at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia during the State Fair in August.
- Please note: winning schools must be registered as vendors with the State to receive payment.
Judging Criteria
A panel of judges, made up of MoDOT staff, ranks each project on the criteria below as well as provides an overall ranking of each project. The project with the highest rankings in its category is declared the category winner. The project with the highest rankings of all projects is declared the grand prize winner.
- Does the project include the No MOre Trash! logo?
- How prominent is it? Is it creatively incorporated into the design?
- Does the project include an original litter-prevention slogan?
- How creative is the slogan? Is it creatively incorporated into the design?
- Are a variety of recycled materials incorporated into the design?
- How varied are the materials? How much of the project uses recycled materials?
2026 Winners
K-2 Grade Category
Congratulations to Krista McFarland and her students at Dressel Elementary School in St. Louis on winning the K-2 category for their “The Great Garbage Truck” entry!
“Our class made a trash truck out of a trash can to show how important sanitation workers are to our community,” McFarland wrote in their submission entry. “Our project is a way to say thank you to sanitation workers for helping keep our Earth free from litter and to remind others to take care of our Earth.”
The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win.
3-5 Grade Category
Congratulations to Jacy Chastain-Ware and her fourth-grade gifted students at Graden Elementary School in Parkville on winning the 3-5 category for their “If You Like to Play, Throw Your Trash Away!” entry!
“During discussions about litter in their community, many students shared that they often see trash left behind at school sporting events,” Chastain-Ware wrote in their submission entry. “This helped students identify a problem they wanted to address by reminding people to keep shared spaces clean.”
The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win.
6-8 Grade Category
Congratulations to Joyce Kilgore and her Weaubleau R-III students in Weaubleau on winning the 6-8 category for their entry, “I Speak for the Trees, Don’t Litter Please.”
“We used the Dr. Seuss Lorax theme to make a colorful trash can that’s pleasing to the eye,” Kilgore wrote on behalf of her students. “We worked well as a team, and we are very proud of our trash can.”
The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win.
9-12 Grade Category & Grand Prize
Congratulations to Judy Hopper and her students at Spokane High School in Spokane on winning the 9-12 category and the grand prize for their “Kraken Down on Trash!” entry.
The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win as well as $600 and a trophy as the grand prize winner. This project will be on display in the MoDOT Highway Gardens building at this year’s Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Aug. 13-23.
Grades K-2 - Dressel Elementary School
Grades 3-5 - Graden Elementary School
Grades 6-8 - Weaubleau R-III School District
Grades 9-12 - Spokane High School, Grand Prize
Have Questions or Need More Information?
Bethany Belt
Title
Senior Communications Specialist
Department
Communications
Contact Info
Bethany.Belt@modot.mo.gov
Bethany.Belt@modot.mo.gov