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Canadian Public Health Association

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Grade 6 Poster Contest. Infectious Disease & Climate Change: Awareness & prevention in your community

The Canadian Public Health Association's poster contest is an opportunity for Grade 6 students from across Canada to learn more about climate sensitive infectious diseases like Lyme disease and West Nile virus, and share awareness and prevention information with their friends, family and communities. 

Submissions must be received by 9 February 2024..  

What are climate sensitive infectious diseases? Many diseases are sensitive to changes in the climate, including Lyme disease, West Nile virus, hantavirus, E. coli, giardiasis and salmonellosis. As the climate changes, so too do the patterns of who and where people get the disease. Learn more about climate sensitive infectious diseases.  

Who can enter? Grade 6 students, or students in a Grade 5/6 or 6/7 split class, registered in a Canadian school during the 2023-2024 school year.  

Prizes: Prizes will be awarded to a National Winner, a National Runner-up, and Regional Winners from Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, Alberta, and British Columbia & the Territories.  

     All winners will receive a copy of the book Grandpa’s Wisdom – An Algonquin Reflection on West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease
     by Albert Dumont. 

     Prizes must be accepted as rewarded.
     CPHA reserves the right to substitute a prize of equivalent value. 

 

classroom Resources

Teachers: Are you looking to incorporate climate change and infectious disease topics into your lessons? We have developed a Teacher’s Kit for you. This toolkit includes a five-lesson plan to guide teachers in facilitating a rich, cross-curricular learning experience for students, borrowing on skills from Science, Math, Language, Geography, Physical Education, Health, and Art. It also includes instructions on helping your students develop their poster entries, and links to additional resources including videos, websites and other teaching materials.  

The Teacher's Kit includes five lessons plans and the following fillable pdfs, that can be downloaded separately:

Poster guidelines

Materials: Posters must be done by hand, using markers, pencils, pencil crayons, pastels and/or paint. No computer drawings or clipart. No cut and pasted materials or three-dimensional submissions.  

Format: Posters must be no smaller than 11” x 8.5” (279mm x 216mm) and no larger than 17” x 11” (432mm x 279mm). 

Content: Posters must include a drawing that demonstrates how to prevent a climate sensitive infectious disease. The poster must also include a call to action, which tells people what they can do to help prevent the disease. All designs must be unique. No copying from other resources (textbooks, web sites, magazines etc.)  

  • Examples of climate sensitive infectious diseases include: Lyme disease, West Nile virus, hantavirus, E. coli, giardiasis, and salmonellosis.
  • For more information on climate sensitive infectious diseases, please consult our Information Kit, and the Government of Canada website
  • A call to action is a phrase that tells the reader what action to take, and how to take it. (e.g. “Prevent mosquito bites to protect yourself from West Nile virus; wear insect repellant”).  

Language: The call to action on the poster can be written in English, French, and/or a language relevant to the student’s local community. 

What makes a great poster?

  1. An imaginative design
  2. Correct grammar and spelling 
  3. Easy to read from a distance 
  4. Colourful 
  5. It shares a message with your friends and community about how they can protect themselves from Lyme disease, West Nile virus, or another climate sensitive infectious disease.

    HOW TO ENTER

    Posters can either be mailed or submitted electronically. 

    To mail your poster:    

    • Print the entry form (single form / multiple forms)
    • Glue the completed entry form to the back of your poster 
    • Mail posters flat (not folded or rolled)
    • Mail to: Grade 6 Poster Contest 

            c/o Canadian Public Health Assoc 
            404 – 1525 Carling Ave. 
            Ottawa ON  K1Z 8R9   

    To submit electronically:

    Submissions must be received by 9 February, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.

    CONTEST RULES

    • Individual entries only.
    • Open to Grade 6 students, or students in a Grade 5/6 or 6/7 split class, registered in a Canadian school during the 2023-2024 school year.
    • Posters must focus on preventing a climate sensitive infectious disease.
    • Posters must use the materials and format outlined above. 
    • Submissions that do not meet the rules will be disqualified. 
    • Posters submitted with incomplete entry forms will be disqualified. 

    All original paper artwork submitted to the contest is retained by the Canadian Public Health Association. 

    Questions? Please email us at: contest@cpha.ca 

    NEED INSPIRATION?

    See the winning entries from the 2023 Poster Contest

    See the winning entries from the 2022 Poster Contest

    See the winning entries from the 2021 Poster Contest

    FAQS

    I teach a split grade class. Can students from other grades participate in the contest too?

    Yes, the contest is now open to both Grade 6 students, as well as students in a 5/6 or 6/7 split grade class, registered in a Canadian school during the 2023-2024 school year. Please note that submitting entries from other grades only applies for grade 5/6 or 6/7 split classrooms. Otherwise, the contest is uniquely open to Grade 6 students.

    When will the winners be announced?

    Winners will be announced March 2024. Teacher’s will be notified of a winning student submission via the email provided on the entry form, and are encouraged to monitor their junk email

    MEDIA AND PROMOTION

    Use the images below to easily share information about our Grade 6 Poster Contest through email, newsletters and your organization’s social media platforms:
     

    You can also share or retweet CPHA’s posts about the poster contest on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.


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