After 10 years, it’s time for a new license plate! In 2016, Minnesotans helped design and choose the current state parks and trails license plate. In 2026, we’re doing it again! Minnesotans are invited to put their creativity to the test and show their love for state parks and trails through an original license plate design.
We are looking for creative designs that celebrate the North Shore and Lake Superior agates — a theme decided by the 2026 Minnesota Legislature. The North Shore is characterized by Lake Superior, ancient volcanic bedrock, dramatic river gorges, lush forests, abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, and unique geologic features, such as the Lake Superior agate. Designs celebrating the region can draw inspiration from waterfalls, forests, wildlife, unique geology or other natural features and recreational experiences found throughout the North Shore landscape, which can be easily accessed from state parks, trails and other public lands.
The state parks and trails license plate requires an annual contribution of $60. In return, the plate serves as your Minnesota state park vehicle permit, providing free entry to all Minnesota state parks and recreation areas for the year. Proceeds from the plate are used exclusively to support Minnesota state parks and trails, including maintenance, staffing, and improvements.
Start designing now! Entries will be accepted through a digital submission form September 15, 2026 until October 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
Interested? Please review the contest rules below to get started.
- Will the 2016 state parks and trails plate still be an option?
- Yes. We are adding a second plate.
- Why does the design have to include the North Shore and Lake Superior agate?
- The theme was determined by the Minnesota Legislature in 2026. (Session Law Chapter 57, HF3699)
- What is considered the North Shore?
- The North Shore refers to the western shoreline of Lake Superior from Duluth to the Canadian border. While many people associate the region with rocky beaches and lake views, it also includes the adjacent forests, rivers, waterfalls, cliffs, ridgelines, and backcountry landscapes that together create one of Minnesota's most rugged and recognizable outdoor landscapes. State parks along the North Shore include Grand Portage, Judge C.R. Magney, Cascade River, George H. Crosby Manitou, Temperance River, Tettegouche, Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls. State trails along the North Shore include the Gitchi-Gami State Trail and Lake Superior State Water Trail.
- What is a Lake Superior agate?
- Lake Superior agates are colorful rocks known for their distinctive bands of red, orange, yellow and white quartz. They began forming more than a billion years ago when mineral-rich water slowly filled air pockets in ancient lava along what is now Lake Superior. Over thousands of years, layer upon layer of dissolved quartz and other minerals crystallized inside these cavities, creating the colorful bands that make each agate unique. During the Ice Age, glaciers loosened the agates from the rock, smoothed their surfaces and carried them across much of Minnesota. What sets Lake Superior agates apart from agates found elsewhere is their rich red, orange, and yellow colors, created by iron in the surrounding rock, along with their distinctive bands of quartz.
Today, these unique stones can still be found across Minnesota, making every discovery a reminder of the state's remarkable geologic history. In Minnesota state parks and recreation areas, you can hunt for agates but you may not remove them. Take a photo, leave the gemstone, so that future generations can enjoy our shared natural resources.
- Who gets to choose the winning design?
- You! After a DNR panel narrows down submissions to the top three finalists, the public will decide the winner by vote. The voting period will happen in December 2026.
- What does the winner get?
- The winning design will be featured on license plates across Minnesota. The winning contestant will have their name and city of residence announced in a press release and media event. The winning contestant will receive no financial remuneration from the state.
- Eligibility
- The contest is open to Minnesota residents who have maintained a legal residence in the state for a minimum of 60 days immediately preceding the day they enter the contest. Contestants under 18 can submit a design with a parent/guardian’s signature. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employees, their immediate family and members of the employees' household are not eligible to submit designs.
- How to submit a design
- An online form will be available on this website starting September 15, 2026. Contestants can submit their design through the form from September 15 through October 31, 2026 at 5 p.m. Contestants using physical media can scan or photograph their designs and upload it to the form. No drop-off or mail entries will be accepted.
- Design Requirements
The design must be two-dimensional, horizontal, and use the 2026 State Park License Plate Design Contest Template. Designs that do not use the official template will be disqualified.
The template is designed to print at full size (100%) on 11" x 17" paper. You may print it on 8.5" x 11" paper as long as the license plate proportions are not distorted.
Contestants can choose from four variations of the plate: the license plate numbers can be black, white, together or split.
Designs should be as large as the format will allow to maximize visibility.
The design must allow for six license plate numbers/letters. The license plate numbers/letters can be black or white (e.g., on the standard Minnesota plate they are black; on the Blackout plate, they are white). The color contrast of the license plate numbers to the background color must be 3:1 or greater.
As required by Minnesota Legislature in 2026, Session Law Chapter 57, HF3699, the design must celebrate the North Shore (of Lake Superior) and Lake Superior agates. Contestants will be required to write a short entry (150 words max) describing how their submission celebrates the North Shore and Lake Superior agates.
The background or setting of a contest entry shall only represent environments found in Minnesota. Design elements in a contest entry should be accurately portrayed as to ecology and anatomy, although they need not be literal renditions.
A contest entry may be created in one or a combination of media (e.g., oils, watercolors, digital illustration). The inclusion of any photographic product within the work is prohibited. Any entry signed, lettered or otherwise identified by the contestant on the face of the design will be disqualified.
Designs resembling current Minnesota Critical Habitat license plates (e.g., prominently featuring a loon, moose, white-tailed deer, or any of the other images currently in use) or the 2016 Minnesota State Parks and Trails license plate will be disqualified.
- Originality and Human Creation
- The contestant must not use artificial intelligence (AI) at any stage of the design creation, including but not limited to assisted editing, image generation, or final production. Use of AI to create designs will result in disqualification. Brainstorming tools (e.g., Google Search) are allowed, provided the design is wholly human created.
AI includes any tool or system that generates or materially alters visual content through automated processes, including text-to-image generators, image synthesis tools, or generative editing features. Traditional digital tools (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate) are permitted when used for manual creation, editing, or enhancement that is fully directed by the human contestant and does not involve generative AI features.
Finalists may be required to provide evidence of their creative process, including preliminary sketches, drafts, progress images/video, or layered files. Failure to provide satisfactory evidence of human authorship will result in disqualification.
The design must be of the contestant's own creation, neither copied nor duplicated from another person's art, including paintings or drawings in any medium or published photographs.
Questions? Contact [email protected] for assistance with the contest, rules, or design requirements.