CATS Selects Winning Artwork to be Featured on 2027 Transit Passes

Published on June 16, 2026

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is announcing the winners of its annual Transit Pass Design Contest, whose artwork will be printed on Local, Express and Express Plus monthly passes for the 2027 calendar year.

• First place: Kristin Lozoya – Local Monthly Pass

• Second place: Ken Knudtsen – Express Monthly Pass

• Third place: Tyler Baum – Express Plus Monthly Pass

CATS asked North and South Carolina residents to submit original artwork with the theme: Where do you move forward?

Entries were judged and first, second and third place winners were selected by a committee of transit staff members and local art professionals based on specific criteria.

“To a kid from the suburbs, Charlotte felt like an Emerald City,” first place winner Kristin Lozoya said. “The illustration features a CATS bus entering a scene filled with sunlight and vivid color. The yellow bars of the crosswalk serve as my version of a yellow brick road, reinforcing the sense of movement, discovery and imagination. This piece reflects not only the physical motion and energy of Charlotte’s residents, but also the city’s ongoing growth and transformation.”

CATS’ Art in Transit program enhances essential mobility solutions in our region that connect communities to opportunity, places and each other. With the objective of providing vibrancy to public spaces and enriching neighborhoods, CATS commits 1% of design and construction costs to the integration of permanent art into most capital improvement projects, including rail stations, park and rides, bus stops, transportation centers and maintenance facilities.

For questions or concerns, community members can speak to CATS customer service at 704-336-7433.