News

July 7, 2023

2023 Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest Deadline Approaching

The 2023 Lights On Afterschool poster contest will close on Monday, July 10 and interested individuals must enter their submissions before the midnight deadline.

About the Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest

Sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance, the 2023 Lights On Afterschool poster contest is a great opportunity for an afterschool program to gain national recognition for the opportunities it offers.

With the winning submission printed on more than 50,000 posters, it will be seen at more than 8,000 Lights On Afterschool events around the world. Additionally, the winning artist will be featured on the Afterschool Alliance website and blog, as well as in a national press release, and their afterschool program receive a grand prize of $500.

Closing on July 10, voting will take place July 11-13 on the Afterschool Alliance Facebook and Instagram pages, where followers can vote on the top five submissions.

Rules and Guidelines

Do:
  • Submit any artwork that represents the spirit of afterschool programs.
  • Submit either new or existing artwork.
    • If your program has pre-made artwork celebrating afterschool, you can submit it.
    • The artwork does not have to be created specifically for the Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest, but it must represent afterschool.
  • Submit any of many kids of art (e.g. murals, paintings, graphics, etc.)
  • Be creative!
    • Think of the many ways your program has opened the doors to new opportunities for children.
    • Also, look for artwork that can represent how afterschool staff has been an inspiration to children.
  • Portray ideas in abstract or realistic renderings.
    • Additionally, encourage students to use bright, bold markers, or paint to bring life to their images.
  • Submit all physical artwork on 11 x 14 size paper.
  • For digital submissions, make sure the artwork is in PDF format and is no larger than a 2 MB file with a DPI of 350. For higher resolution photos, email sgray@afterschoolalliance.org and request a link to our file transfer account.

Don’t:

  • Use a specific program name within the submission.
  • If your artists do include the phrase Lights On Afterschool in their designs, make sure “afterschool” is written as one word, consistent with the national branding of the celebration.

Submit a Poster

To submit a poster, simply:

  1. Review the rules and guidelines to verify that you’re submission is eligible for contest entry.
  2. Complete the entry form.
  3. Either:

Mail your completed entry form and physical poster submission to:

Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest
1101 14th Street NW, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20005

OR

Email your completed entry form and digital poster submission to: lightson@afterschoolalliance.org.

Please note: Mailed submissions must be postmarked no later than Monday, July 10. Additionally, artwork sent via email must be in PDF format and no larger than 2 MB with a DPI of 350. For higher resolution photos, email sgray@afterschoolalliance.org and request a link to our file transfer account. 

Learn More

To learn more, visit the Afterschool Alliance website.

Source

Information for this post was taken directly from the Afterschool Alliance website. Some text may have been added, paraphrased, or adapted for readability and comprehension.

Related Content & Resources

News

December 13, 2019

2019-20 Carton 2 Garden Contest Receiving Entries

Are you interested in building or enhancing your school garden? Evergreen Packaging and KidsGardening.org are hosting the sixth national Carton 2 Garden Contest!

About

The Carton 2 Garden Contest is open to public and private schools, with contest winners selected based on their implementation of an innovative garden creation featuring creative, sustainable uses for repurposed milk and juice cartons. Schools can get started by collecting at least 100 empty cartons from homes, the community, or their cafeteria. After gathering the cartons, schools design and construct purposeful garden items and structures using them. For ideas, view last year’s winners.

Eligibility & Entry

Carton 2 Garden is open to all K-12 public and private schools in the United States. Schools do not need a garden to participate. Pre-k classes located at schools serving additional elementary, middle, and/or high school grade levels may also enter the contest. With this, all entries must document and share their gardening experience through an online entry form and submission of up to 10 photos.

To be eligible for the grand prize and specialty prizes, entries must also include a video link (under five minutes) that tells the story of the project in its entirety. View the Entry Form Checklist. Every student that appears in photos or videos must have an accompanying signed parent release form submitted with your entry. The form is also available in Spanish.

All entries must be submitted by midnight on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Click here to access the online entry form.

Awards

Fifteen entries will be selected to receive award packages for their efforts, including:

    • one grand prize winner who will receive a prize valued at $5,000;
    • four winners, selected for exemplary demonstration in the following specialty areas: Carton Act in the Garden, Environmental Stewardship, Health and Nutrition, and STEM; who will receive a prize valued at $2,000 each; and
    • ten winners (five middle/high schools and five elementary schools) who will receive award packages valued at $1,000 each.

More Information

To learn more about the Carton 2 Garden Contest, visit the Kids Gardening website.

News

May 28, 2019

Cast Your Vote: 2019 WQED Reader’s Choice Award

Community members are invited to take part in selecting the 2019 WQED Reader’s Choice Award Winner by casting their votes by Friday, May 31.

About

For the past 10 years, WQED has partnered with The EQT Corporation to present the Writers Contest to children throughout their viewing area. Through the support of EQT, WQED has been able to reach out directly to schools, libraries, and families throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia to encourage children to submit their original stories and illustrations.

In the 10 years of sponsorship from EQT, WQED has received over 12,000 story entries, communicated with hundreds of teachers and librarians to provide them with resources, impacted thousands of WQED viewers with messages about the contest, and provided a website full of information that encourages students and arms adults with relevant literacy information.

Cast Your Vote

Voting is now open and will end on Friday, May 31st at 12:00 p.m. The Reader’s Choice Award Winner will be announced on Monday, June 3. To learn more and cast your vote, visit the WQED website.

*Information provided by WQED