Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc. said it congratulated the nine student finalists chosen to compete for a $30,000 grand prize in the eighth annual “Lucerne The Art of Dairy Art Contest.” The finalists were announced via a live reveal at www.artofdairy.com. They now will transfer their designs onto life-size fiberglass cows.

Beginning April 17, the public will vote for their favorite cow and crown a winning artist in the contest, which “joins nutrition with artistic talent and ingenuity,” Safeway said. In addition, as part of the Teacher Incentive Program, all schools that submitted entries were entered into a second-chance drawing, and one lucky school will win $1,000 for its art department. The entries are being tabulated, and the winning school will be announced in mid-March.

Since the inception of the contest in 2005, Safeway has contributed more than $373,000 to schools, teachers and students, the retailer stated. This year, schools across the country submitted more than 6,400 entries.

To read more about the contest, click here.