It’s official: Members of Friends of Windjammer Days have chosen the T-shirt design by Maria Elaine Michael for this year’s student-designed T-shirts. Michael is in eighth grade at Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES).

This year marks the third year of the Windjammer Days Student T-shirt Design Contest, the brainchild of Rosemary Bourette and daughter Jessica Nadeau, art teacher at BRES.

“Artists were asked to consider what their artwork would look like on a T-shirt when coming up with a design,” said Bourette. “The artists were encouraged to use color, but to avoid watercolor, and to use white sparingly. Some artwork had to be eliminated because it wasn’t colorful and/or it wouldn’t reproduce well.”

Michael, the daughter of Sam and Margaret Michael of Boothbay, is still quite excited about seeing her design on the T-shirts. This was the second year she entered the competition.

When she got the call from the committee, “I was very surprised. My brother was on a meeting call and I started screaming, ‘I won!’” she said. “Then I called my grandmother and friends of my parents. Their daughter-in-law wants a shirt, too, and she lives across the country.

“There was a lot of trial and error – one was really difficult – but I remembered I shouldn’t put too much on a shirt. The first one was two boats that were overlapping from a picture. Then I thought of the design with one boat. I like the boats, they’re really cool. I looked at a bunch of boats, found one I liked and drew it in colored pencils. My favorite part is the Maine flag at the top and the shadows and stuff.”

What will she do with that first prize of $500?

“A lot of times I spend money on a bunch of stuff … but I think I might save it,” she said. “And, my mom’s been telling me to save up for a car since I was 8.”

Tying for second place are Georgia Griffith and Oriana Taylor; and third place went to Rose Campbell. The designs by Bailey Ann Lewis, Duncan Hardwick, Chau Nguyen (designer of the 2020 T-shirt), Evan Merton and Jack Hurd received the same number of judges’ votes for their designs.

With a whopping 73 entries, the judges of the Windjammer Days Student T-shirt Design Contest had their work cut out for them. Here’s the list of students who submitted a design: From BRES – Kindergarten: Jonathan Bailey, Leo Barter, Emily Chappelle, Addyson Farnham, Deklin Ficht, Victoria Gatnar-Koplau, Kyleigh Maxey and Cecilia Jackson; Grade 1: David Goodwin IV; Grade 2: Rowan Barter, Leaf Halin, Finn Leeman, Landyn Peters and Iliya Sanborn; Grade 3: James Barter and Pauline Nadeau-Miller; Grade 4: Ava Barter, Sophia Gatnar-Koplau, Mia Gorey, Xavi Hall, Olivia Hardwick, Byran Hill, Dominic Holmes, Miles Hyson, Spencer Wade and Beatrice Wormwood; Grade 5: Adaline Barter and Natalie Flagg; Grade 6: Meredith Ames, David Frazer, Lexi Marie Hughes, Cole Hyson, Alana R. LaCourse, Titan Lewis, Jason Main, Sophia Mansfield, Chau Nguyen, Eve Pangburn and Oriana Taylor; Grade 7: Rose Campbell, Tatum French, Margaret Halter, Bailey Anne Lewis, Isaac W. Lewis, Evan Merton, Cameron Payson, Hunter Taylor, Afton Warren-Burdin and Ella Watts; Grade 8: Imij Armstead, Skyla Emily Ann Carrier and Hannah Hill; and Maria Elaine Michael, BRES/Homeschool; Boothbay Region High School: Duncan Hardwick, Grade 9. 

Southport Central School – Grade 2: Ryder Baker, Duncan Scot and Grady Gamage; Grade 3: Fiona Bishop, Charlie Hurd, Mabel R. Kaler, Scout Martin, Jessie Ullo and Kayla Watts; Grade 4: Lucy Brown, Haiden Blackman, Roxi Goodwin, Jack Hurd and Carter Townsend; Grade 5: Makayla Abbe, Georgia Griffith, Silas Kaler and Franz Finn; Grade 6: Madisyn Blackman.

Michael is looking forward to Windjammer Days this year, June 27-July 3. “My favorite part of Windjammers is actually the pirate stories – I was quite happy when they threw the coins and I caught one! – followed by the fireworks!”

For more information about the festival and your favorite events, visit www.boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org