Stafford Coin Design Contest Ends Wednesday

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — You’ve got until Wednesday to get your design in for the 350th commemorative coin for Stafford County.

As the county prepares to celebrate its milestone next year, its asked its residents to design a coin that will be used to showoff the county’s birthday, with a design that reflects the story of a nation.

“Because Stafford County played such a major role in shaping America’s future, the committee believes that Stafford’s story is America’s story,” a press release from Stafford’s 350th Blue Ribbon Committee, which is responsible for planning series of events to be held in 2014 that will mark the anniversary.

Once all of the designs are in, a jury will narrow them down to the top three, and the winning designer will be notified by the end of the year, and their coin will be displayed at that time, according to a press release.

There’s no entry fee to submit to the competition, only two designs per Stafford resident will be considered, and the winning artist will not be compensated for their coin design.

Officials urge creators to create something with a simple design that in which the 350th anniversary can be interpreted in several different ways, and to note clear lines are important as the coin will be three dimensional with some areas of the coin raised and others flat.

You can turn in your coin with proof of age (must be 16-years or older to participate) and proof of Stafford County residency, to either the Porter Library in North Stafford from noon to 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., or the England Run Library near Fredericksburg, on Monday, Wednesday between noon and 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

There’s a form posted to Stafford County’s website all of the details.

Stafford’s year-long 350th celebration will kick off in January with a special block party at Stafford Marketplace in North Stafford.