UK professor a Pabst Blue Ribbon art can contest finalist

UK adjunct graphic design professor Hayli Strickland says it started out as a promise to her boyfriend to help get her art noticed.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A UK adjunct graphic design professor is a top 25 finalist in the Pabst Blue Ribbon 2022 contest. If she wins, she’ll get $10,000 dollars and her design on beer cans all over the world.

Hayli Strickland says it started out as a promise to work to get her designs noticed.

“I pinkie promised my boyfriend that I would do these things, and I made sure to buckle down and do it and the promise of winning 10 thousand dollars I was like, I really want to at least try,” said Strickland.

So, UK graphic design adjunct professor Hayli Strickland entered the Pabst Blue Ribbon art contest, and out of 70,000 submissions from 124 different countries, Strickland was a top 25 finalist.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to get in the running necessarily, I thought this would be a great way to practice my design and play around with my iPencil and things like that,” said Strickland.

Strickland definitely took the time to play, starting on the design back in mid-October, and taking several weeks to finish. She says she got the idea while teaching her graphic design class.

“It just so happens that in that time period my graphic design class I was teaching about psychedelic design and psychedelic posters and music and art,” said Strickland.

Which inspired the fun and funky beer can design.

“One of my favorite bands is Radiohead, and I kinda started with a radio, but I was like I think a cassette would be more retro because we have this strong pullback to the 80s right now,” said Strickland.

If Strickland wins, not only will she win $10,000 dollars, but she’ll also have her design on beer cans all over the world. People can vote every day for their favorite artists on Pabst Blue Ribbon’s website until voting closes February 18.

Go to pabstblueribbon.com/art to vote.