KING CITY — Transportation Agency for Monterey County, in partnership with Sol Treasures, has announced the winners of the King City Safe Routes to School Sidewalk Art Competition.
The competition launched in spring 2026 with a call for artwork from elementary, middle and high school or college students, adult amateur artists and professional artists. A community steering committee reviewed submissions based on criteria established in the call for art before community members voted on their favorites through paper and online ballots.
Seven professional sidewalk murals, measuring either 6 by 14 feet or 6 by 30 feet, are being installed along routes to Santa Lucia Elementary and Del Rey Elementary schools and near youth destinations including the King City Recreation Department, San Antonio Skate Park and King City Library. The seven large murals are expected to be installed by mid-October.
Smaller winning artworks from the other categories will be installed along the routes to Santa Lucia and Del Rey elementary schools in spring 2027.
TAMC and its partners will host a community art walk Oct. 15 beginning outside the King City Recreation Department at 401 Division St. The event will celebrate the artists and the community members involved in the project.
The winners are:
- Professional Artist — Extra Large: Valentino Melchor, Jesús Núñez Navarro, Mimi Black and Luis Fausto Rodriguez.
- Professional Artist — Small: Vince Jorge and Brenda Scettrini Saglio.
- Adult Amateur Artist: Angeles Badajos-Uribe, Mercy Hernandez and Yesenia Chavez.
- High School/College: Halle Overton.
- Middle School: Xavier Camacho, Emily Rodriguez-Pina, Ivannah Mejia, Luis Leon Martinez, Christian Martinez, Jesus Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Lopez Haro and Kenny Dominguez Guevara.
- Elementary School: Nikolai Casimiro, Kai Aguayo, Mila Saiz, Iris Martinez, Joshua Ramirez Almaraz, Anthony Cruz, Hazzel Segura, Rose Cullen, Sara Rios, Melody Sanchez, Anna Maldonado Raya, Brittany Banuelos and Noe Chavez.
TAMC will coordinate with the artists and teachers of student artists to distribute prizes. Artwork that was not selected for installation will be displayed on the Monterey County Safe Routes to School website and shared with Sol Treasures and other community partners for use on their websites and social media channels.
The sidewalk art project is part of the San Antonio Path and Safe Routes to School project, a collaboration involving the City of King, TAMC, Ecology Action, Monterey County Health Department, Sol Treasures and other community partners. The project aims to create safer and more engaging spaces for people walking, rolling and traveling through King City neighborhoods.
The project is funded through a California Department of Transportation Active Transportation Program grant and local Measure X transportation sales tax funds.
