Alaska Airlines Names Judges for Hawaii 'Paint the Plane' Contest

HONOLULU, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines, in partnership with the Hawaii State Department of Education and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, has appointed a 10-member judging panel for its statewide "Paint the Plane" contest. The contest invites school-aged children in Hawaii to create artwork honoring the unique culture of the Aloha State that may adorn a Boeing 737-800.

The 10-member panel, comprised of Hawaii government, business, arts, education, tourism and community members, will select the top three designs as well as honorable mentions. Hawaii residents will then vote on the top three designs and provide Alaska Airlines with their recommendation in an online public vote slated for Dec. 11-18.

"Some incredible designs are already coming in and I know judging these entries will be a challenging and difficult task," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "We're pleased to involve such an esteemed group of Hawaii community members, representing a broad cross-section of the Islands, in this process. Their varied background and experiences will assist us in selecting the designs that best capture the 'Spirit of the Islands' and we look forward to working with the panel on this very unique and exciting opportunity for Hawaii's keiki."

Students in kindergarten through 12^th grade from public, private and home schools in Hawaii have until Nov. 30 to submit designs for the judges' consideration. The plane is scheduled to be revealed at a public event in Hawaii in the spring of 2013.

Spirit of the Islands "Paint the Plane" contest judges:

1. Maile Andrade – associate professor, Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa
2. Sam Choy – chef/restaurateur  
3. George Costa – director, Kauai County Office of Economic Development
4. Hokulani Holt-Padilla – cultural programs director, Maui Arts & Cultural Center
5. Jenna Ishii – Co-founder, Grow Hawaii, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools
6. Carole Kai Onouye – co-founder, Great Aloha Run
7. Henry Kapono – singer/songwriter
8. Mike McCartney – president and CEO, Hawaii Tourism Authority
9. Melissa Rivera – creator/designer, Unleash Studio
10. Evan Tottori – resource teacher, Art in Public Places - Artist in Residence Program, Hawaii State Department of Education

The student with the winning submission will get his or her design painted on an Alaska Airlines aircraft, a trip for four to any of the carrier's destinations and a $5,000 scholarship. Second- and third-place winners will receive a trip for four to any Alaska Airlines destination, and 12 honorable mentions will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship each, except for the grade of the grand prize winner.

Complete contest details and judges' biographies are available at www.alaskaair.com/hawaii, as well as contest rules, instructions, and entry forms required to participate. Randomly selected design entries are also on display under the "Art Gallery" tab.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves 95 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction Study^SM for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines