Bryan DesForge wins Mayor's Cup logo design contest

PLATTSBURGH | The official 2026 Mayor's Cup t-shirt design was unveiled Monday at CV-TEC, featuring the work of a Digital Production & Multimedia Communications young professional. Bryan DesForge, a senior from Saranac Central School, earned the 2026 honor for his art emblazoned on a sand-colored t-shirt. This year's Mayor's Cup on July 11 is the 49th annual regatta to be held in the City of Plattsburgh. The design competition is coordinated with Plattsburgh Sunrise Rotary Club, and President Wanda Carroll welcomed a group of 15 young graphic arts professionals and their instructor, Melanie Faville. Project sponsors from PLATTCO Corp. and the Vermont Surrogacy Network awaited the final reveal along with CV-TEC administrators and City of Plattsburgh Mayor Wendell Hughes. Immense anticipation hovered among students who had collaborated with Rotarians to hone their artwork, set a production schedule and polish professional skills over the past few months. Mayor Hughes said his first experience with CV-TEC's Mayor's Cup student artists last year was probably the most incredible day he spent as mayor of the City of Plattsburgh. "To meet all of the great folks here at CV-TEC and see how much they care about the students, I tell everybody: if you're having a bad day go to CV-TEC." He commended the Sunrise Rotary Club for their collaboration with young professionals in the design program. "And without sponsors," he said to PLATTCO and Vermont Surrogacy, "we don't do any of this." Turning to the young design professionals before the unveiling, he noted that this year the region is celebrating its role in America250, the 250th year since the Declaration of Independence was signed. "So whoever wins this today gets to have the America250 design for Mayor's Cup," Hughes said. The mayor announced a bonus prize this year. "I'd like to have whoever wins spend the day with me and be Mayor for the Day." That idea drew rounds of applause and big cheers from everyone, especially CV-TEC administrators. TALENTED YOUNG ARTISTS CV-TEC Student Services Learning Coordinator Sherry Snow acknowledged the work and dedication of all young professionals who participated in the Mayor's Cup Logo Design competition. Named the winner, DesForge was welcomed at the podium and helped unveil the t-shirt logo. CV-TEC Director Michele Friedman said DesForge, a Saranac Central student, is also the NYS Skills USA Gold Medal winner in design and will be representing the State of New York in Atlanta, GA at national competition in June. "Way to go, Bryan!" Friedman said. DesForge said he incorporated a local historic monument in the artwork as a tribute to the city's history, and chose the shirt color to represent the sand-covered beach. Asked what he thought about being Mayor for a Day, the young designer chuckled with a little shrug. Mayor Hughes said the visit will introduce the senior to Plattsburgh's various city department heads. Asked what legislation he's going to pass on his day in office, DesForge cracked up laughing. "That's the one," Hughes laughed, "don't answer that." DesForge said he plans to continue his studies at SUNY Plattsburgh. "Hopefully, I'll be teaching high school art," he said. Anticipating SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, DesForge said he has created a display to bring that includes graphic art work and a slide show of designs he's created over the past two years. "And I give a speech about it," he said. Classmates at CV-TEC said working on Sunrise Rotary Mayor's Cup logo felt some deadline pressure and pursued it with careful thought as they worked through the process. Keri Denton, a Boquet Valley Central School junior, said illustrating the boat was integral to the work, but picking the shirt color was tough. "I couldn't decide," she noted. "There was a little bit of pressure. End-to-end with the deadline, it was hard." Jensen Akin, a Peru Central senior, outlined the many steps they took to arrive at a final product. "If you compared designs now to the early drafts, they are very different," he said. "Ms. Faville gathered all of the early drafts together and we discussed them as a class." Akin said he will pursue a career in graphic design. "What locked that in position for me was a competition last year for the Open House flier. That process included a group presentation as well. I submitted the final draft, and the next day I found out I won," he smiled. For Northeastern Clinton Central School junior Lexi Menard, the challenges of deadlines and creating art for use in community were a bit nerve-wracking, at first. "I did have to change my design a little bit. It was pretty fun." Instructor Faville said the class did great. Overall, 24 graphic art program students participated. "The collaboration with community partners encourages them to enter the classroom as young professionals," she said. "These projects let them know you matter, your work is worthy of community representation, and they understand it's not just a classroom." .......................... MAYOR'S CUP 2026 Plattsburgh Sunrise Rotary Club President Wanda Carroll said Mayor's Cup 2026 will bring family activities, athletic competition, vendors, beach events and opportunity for community engagement along with the 49th annual regatta races. Mayor's Cup, she said is centered around celebrating summer, community pride and the beauty of the Lake Champlain waterfront. "One of the things that makes Mayor's Cup special is that there is truly something for everyone: Families can spend the day at the beach, visitors can experience our community, local businesses and connect with the public. Volunteers from across the region come together to create something larger than themselves. "That spirit of collaboration is exactly why today matters," she said of the CV-TEC Mayor's Cup design contest. "Today is not just about revealing a t-shirt design. It's about recognizing students. It's about education and community working together. It's about businesses investing in local initiatives. It's about service organizations partnering with schools." Carroll said the Mayor's Cup logo design collaboration is also about continuing a tradition that has connected this community for 49 years. "To the students here today, thank you for your hard work, your creativity and your willingness to be part of this project. Your ideas and talents matter," she said. "We're proud to showcase your work as part of Mayor's Cup history." The Plattsburgh Sunrise Rotary Mayor's Cup Regatta & Festival is July 11 with racing sailboats on the lake, events at City Beach and at the City Marina. Information about upcoming Mayor's Cup events, races and beach fun is available online: plattsburghsunriserotary.org Updates on t-shirt purchases, regatta races and festival events are shared on social media, via Facebook: facebook.com/plattsburghmayorscup

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Bryan DesForge wins Mayor's Cup logo design contest

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