Is Vernon Hills girl's design coming to a ketchup packet near you?

The design won't be hanging in art galleries, but the creativity of a 10-year-old Vernon Hills girl soon could be on display for millions to see.

Lauren Lum, a shy fourth grader at Townline Elementary School, has been catapulted into an elite tier of young artists as one of 36 finalists in a national contest.

Chosen from among 45,000 entries, her vision of a cowboy-hat wearing ketchup bottle atop a rearing horse is in the home stretch for the H.J. Heinz Company's competition for young artists.

Pop artist Burton Morris (his work hung on the set of the sitcom "Friends") and other judges, chose three finalists in each grade, 1 through 12. Winners in each category will have their artwork stamped on limited edition packets of Heinz ketchup. Lots of them.

"It's about 20 million for each winner," said Krista Goch, an account executive with Brunner Inc., a public relations firm working with Heinz.

"They are definitely in general circulation. It can be in at institutions, schools or restaurants."

Lum became involved with the contest through Lisa Carter, who gives private art lessons in her Libertyville home. Carter learned of the Heinz Ketchup Creativity Contest on the Internet.

"I stumbled upon it looking for scholarships," she said. "I'm always looking for contests for students I teach. I thought it sounded interesting." While she has taken private lessons for about four years, Lauren considers art a hobby, not a passion. Her love of animals was the inspiration.

"I was looking through a magazine and saw someone riding a horse," she explained.

A western theme evolved and she decided to put the character in a desert, hence the cactus in the background. Another reason for the locale was because only six colors could be used - green, blue, yellow, red, gray and black - and not blended.

Why was the ketchup bottle wearing a cowboy hat?

"When I think of a desert, I think of cowboys," Lum said. Of course cowboys ride horses, something to which Lum also aspires.

Carter said she had her students look through magazines and art books for ideas.

"I was trying to get them to imagine ketchup," she said. "The creative ideas were all their own." Different sizes of the ketchup bottle logo were provided. The finished product took about two hours using markers and crayons.

Lum's mother, Vickey, said her father and brother are artists in China, and hoped her children would become involved in art.

"I looked at it and thought it was a coloring contest," she said of Lauren's entry. "I didn't know she drew the whole thing. It was totally a surprise."

Winners get $1,000. Carter entered Lum from Townline so the school also would get $1,000 cash toward art supplies, as well as $1,000 in ketchup, in whatever form it is normally ordered.

Nearly 100,000 online votes were received and are being tabulated. Winners will be announced in early April.