Roark Polzin, 15, has been named the Grand Award winner in the annual design contest organized by the Postal History Foundation (PHF).
Polzin’s design of Tucson’s iconic Diving Lady sign and the Piccarreta Davis building was one of 15 winners in the contest celebrating Tucson’s anniversary. According to the PHF, Polzin used coloured markers to produce his picture of the iconic Diving Lady sign as well as the surrounding building. In 2012, the sign was restored by the Piccarreta Davis law firm, which renovated the old Willard Hotel building in 1993.
“Roark Polzin entered the stamp design contest two years ago and is very much a perfectionist,” reads the PHF website. “In fact, he was not happy with his art for last year’s contest and never entered his picture. This year Roark decided to draw the Diving Lady sign because he ‘really likes the building and they drive by it every day.’ It took him a few hours a day for about a week to complete his masterpiece.”
All of the winning entries will be displayed for a year at the Postal History Foundation, which is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., in Tucson, Ariz.