EchoPark Automotive Tampa is about to get much more colorful, thanks to the creativity of local high school students.

The location, which is part of Sonic Automotive’s segment that specializes in retailing used vehicles, announced the winners of its student mural contest to celebrate cars and the importance they play in our everyday lives.

The goal of the contest was for art students at Howard W. Blake High School to develop designs for a mural on the exterior wall of the dealership.

According to a news release, 88 students submitted their visual interpretations of cars in today’s culture with a nod to Tampa.

The designs by the finalists were posted on Instagram for public voting. The artists for the top three designs with the most votes will be awarded a commission, and their designs will be blended into one mural.

The winners include:

Valentina Sarrin – 11th grade

Phillip Woodside – 11th grade

Vittoria Haynes – 11th grade

The mural will be painted by local artist Carlos Pons, and EchoPark Tampa partnered with Blake High School art teachers Molly Dressel and Linda Galgani to have their students participate in the contest.

“Community involvement is core to our business,” EchoPark Tampa general manager Todd DeVoogel said in the news release. “We felt that having a mural that was designed and executed by local students and a local artist would be a great project that interjects energy into the community.”

The painting of the mural begins this month and is expected to take 45 days to complete.

EchoPark Tampa is located at 4636 N. Dale Mabry Highway, and the mural will be highly visible to cars passing by on the busy roadway.

Sonic highlighted all of the students who entered the contest will get a chance to participate in a day of painting the mural under the mentorship of Pons.

EchoPark is also making a donation to Blake High School’s art department. The school’s curriculum includes a performing and visual arts magnet program in which any student in the Hillsborough County Public School district can audition to attend.

“EchoPark has been a tremendous partner in this project,” Dressel said in the news release. “I’m so pleased that our students got the chance to participate in this creative way to express the intersection of travel (cars) and art.”

Pons is a painter and multimedia artist currently working in the Tampa Bay area. Born in Guatemala City, he is a self-taught artist whose work reflects the illusion of reality and the human experience. His murals can be seen throughout the Orlando and Tampa Bay areas.

“The arts enrich our lives, our communities, and connect all of us,” Sonic chief executive officer David Smith said. “It is inspiring to see the creativity, energy, and fresh vision of our industry reflected in the mural submissions, and we are excited to share the winning designs with our guests and the Tampa community.”