May is National Bike Month, and with so many quiet streets right now, we thought it would be a good time to reimagine what some of our streets here in the St. Louis region could look like. And we want your — or your child’s — help.

What would Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis look like if it was covered with picnic tables instead of vehicle traffic? Would Fine Arts Drive next to the Saint Louis Art Museum be better as a street art gallery for chalk drawings? Or maybe with the uptick in walking and biking these days, you have a great idea for making your own neighborhood a better place to hang out. What would your non-motorized street look like?   

St. Louis BWorks believes the world needs good ideas now more than ever, and wants to showcase yours — and give St. Louis-area kids a chance at some cool prizes while we’re at it. Two kids ages 5-12 or 12-18 (one in each age range) will win a refurbished bicycle, light set and a new helmet from BWorks by reimagining what a local street could be. (In addition, the first 100 youth entrants will be rewarded with a free set of blinky safety bike lights.)  Adults are encouraged to enter as well, both for bragging rights and because sometimes adults have good ideas, too. 

Scoring will be based on a system where a total of 30 points is possible: 

• Overall design and display (1-15 points): We want to see how you can redesign streets. Get creative — we are leaving it up to you to decide if you want to draw this, paint it, build it out of cardboard, paper, legos, etc. It’s your choice! 

• Choice and complexity of street (1-5 points): Picking a street is important. Consider that a small street with lots of homes might be harder compared to a medium or larger-sized street. Consider who or what businesses or nonprofits are on the street and how they might contribute to your design.  

• Diversity (1-10 points): Making room for diversity and the wide-ranging abilities and interests of people is important. Consider how you can include different areas for activities that would attract all sorts of folks. For example, your design could include both picnic tables for a restaurant to make the most of a street as well as a path for bicycle riders and/or pedestrians. 

To submit: 

In order to participate in the contest, email your (or your child’s) entry to events@bworks.org with the subject line “Street Party” no later than May 31, 2020, at midnight.

Your entry should include the following: 1) at least two images of what’s been built, created or designed; and 2) at least two paragraphs explaining and describing the ideas (the more details, the better!); 3) the entrant’s name and age, plus the name of a parent/guardian for entrants under 18 years old; and 4) the name of the local street that has been reimagined.
One entry per person, please. Light sets will be awarded to the first 100 youth who enter.