Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest

RULES AND REGULATIONS

TOPICS/CATEGORIES

Entries in the Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest must fall under one of these topics: Alcohol Awareness and Abuse & Drug Awareness and Abuse. Each poster must include a slogan reflecting either of the topics and an original visual image. Posters may only be entered under one topic.

ELIGIBILITY

The Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest is open to all young people between the ages of 8 and 14.

AGE GROUPS

Contest entrants compete in one of two age groups – ages 8 through 11, and ages 12 through 14. (Note: Some school systems may have different age brackets for their elementary and middle schools. In some area, it may be appropriate to group students by grade rather than age. Sponsoring councils should use their own judgment in deciding how to group participants. Each local, regional and state competition many have up to four winning entries, one from each age category.)

CONTEST LEVELS

Council Level: Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest kits, which contain all the materials needed to participate in the contest, can be ordered from the Department of Fraternal Services by calling (203) 752-4625. If there are multiple schools participating, ask each school to conduct a preliminary judging. The winning entries (one for each topic in each age group) along with the accompanying entry forms for each poster, should be collected by the council from a school representative to be judged along with the winners from other schools for the council contest.

Columbian Squires circles should work with their sponsoring councils in conducting contests. Winning posters and entry forms are then given to the district deputy or his appointee for the district competition. Winners at the local level are automatically entered in the next level of competition: either district, regional or state. Winning entries at the state level, along with their entry forms, should automatically be submitted to the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council office in New Haven, Conn., where they will be entered in the international competition with winners from contests in other jurisdictions.

AUTHORITY

The Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest will be under the authority of the state deputy and state youth director. Local competition is under the authority of the grand knight, program director or council youth director. Any questions about this program should be directed to the appropriate local or state official or to the Supreme Council Department of Fraternal Services, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326. Telephone (203) 752-4625.

RULES

● Posters must reflect either the theme of Alcohol Awareness and Abuse or Drug Awareness and Abuse.
● Each poster should be the original work (including concept, layout, slogan and any visual images) of a single person.
● Posters must be 11X17 inches in size. If pastels, chalk or charcoal are used the poster must be laminated or covered with clear plastic. Posters may be in color or black and white.
● Each poster must be submitted with a Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest entry form. The name and age of the person entering the poster should be included on the back of the poster.
● All entries become the property of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council. Posters will not be returned.

JUDGING

Judging should be done by teams composed of young people, Knights, teachers, administrators, students, substance abuse counselors and law enforcement officials. In keeping with the theme of giving young people the opportunity to develop their own solutions to the challenges they face, it’s particularly important to involve young people in all phases of the judging process.

A 100-point scoring system will be used to determine the winners. 30 Points: Slogan – How clearly is the theme presented? 30 Points: Visuals – How well do the visuals convey the message? 40 Points: Overall impact – How effective was the poster in capturing your attention and causing you to reflect on the topic?

TIMETABLE

Local councils should begin promoting the contest at the start of the school year so that students can work on posters during the fall months. Council judging should take place in January. District/regional and state competition should take place in February or early March. The deadline for receipt of state-level winning entries at the Supreme Council office for the international competition is March 31. International winners will be announced in May.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2012 Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest Winners

2011 Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest Winners

2010 Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest Winners

Tell Us About Your Programs

Help us improve the Service Program activities offered by the Supreme Council office by sending reports on your council’s successful activities and/or any suggestions you may have on improving our programs. Send this information to Fraternal Services, Service Program Suggestions, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or contact us. Please include “Service Program Suggestions” in the subject line.