Las Vegas student wins Nevada State Parks design challenge with ‘Stargazing’ art

By Warren Tennyson

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada State Parks has announced that Ahri, a talented student from Las Vegas Day School, is the winner of this year’s 5th Grade Adventure Pass design challenge.

Her artwork, titled “Stargazing,” features Elephant Rock in Valley of Fire State Park and will be displayed on the 2025-2026 5th Grade Adventure Pass.

Ahri and her family celebrated her achievement with a visit to Valley of Fire State Park, where they received a personal tour of the iconic Elephant Rock formation. They also met Nevada State Parks’ mascot, Carson Kit Fox, and were presented with Ahri’s winning pass.

Although Ahri will be entering 6th grade this fall, she will still be able to use her winning pass to explore Nevada’s state parks throughout the upcoming school year.

During her visit, Ahri expressed her love for drawing, saying that creating art is one of her favorite pastimes. She hopes to visit more of Nevada's 27 state parks with her family this year.

The 5th Grade Adventure Pass program, established by AB385, has been providing free annual entrance passes to Nevada’s state parks for all 5th graders since 2017.

Now in its ninth year, the program offers students and their families free entry to all 27 Nevada State Parks from July through the following August.

The pass was renamed the “Adventure Pass” in 2024 to reflect the limitless opportunities for exploration and discovery across Nevada’s diverse public lands.

The Adventure Pass Design Challenge invites 5th graders to design the next year’s Adventure Pass.

The winning design will be featured on the official 2026-2027 pass, and the young artist will receive a special copy of their creation, which they can use as a 6th grader next school year.

To submit an entry into the contest, parents and teachers can download the entry form at https://parks.nv.gov/learn.