Health

Protect Me With 3+ contest submissions now open for NJ middle, high school students to raise vaccine awareness

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Participation is a critical component of teaching students to be good citizens and health messengers among peers and family.


NEWARK, N.J. (PRWEB)

Calling all New Jersey middle and high school students! This year’s Protect Me With 3+ vaccine awareness contest is now open for poster and video submissions through Jan. 20, 2023.

To stimulate creativity through health education, this year’s Create. Educate. Vaccinate. contest seeks to motivate students to create posters and videos illustrating the importance of getting vaccinated to achieve the highest level of community protection. The goal is to use the power of students’ creativity to raise awareness of the importance of vaccines in protecting New Jerseyans’ health and encourage more students and teachers to participate statewide.

“This year’s revitalized contest seeks to not only increase and diversify contest submissions but empower adolescents and educators to join in the fun to improve community health through vaccine awareness,” said Mariekarl Vilceus-Talty, MA, BSN, President & CEO of the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey (PMCH). “Participation is a critical component of teaching students to be good citizens and health messengers among peers and family.”

Students in grades 5–12 are encouraged to design an 8.5×11 poster (by hand or digitally) or create a :30 video for an opportunity to win a $50-$300 Visa gift card. Artwork must feature educational information about one of the following vaccines: COVID-19; Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap); Human Papillomavirus (HPV); Meningococcal ACWY; and Flu. Full details and examples of past winners’ artwork are available at protectmewith3.com.

Vaccines play a vital role in keeping New Jersey communities healthy. They are the safest and most effective tools to help prevent serious symptoms and complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinations from birth through adulthood to provide a lifetime of protection against many diseases and infections.

“Vaccine-preventable diseases can affect anyone, regardless of age or health status, including healthy teens. Young and healthy people are not immune to serious illnesses,” said Dr. Christina Tan, New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Commissioner and State Epidemiologist. “The best time to get vaccinated is before exposure to dangerous diseases. This contest helps inspire the next generation of artists and educators to contribute their creative talents to educate their communities.”

Digital entries can be submitted here. Hand-drawn posters can be mailed to:

The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey

50 Park Place

Suite 700

Newark, NJ 07102

Middle school prizes

Poster

  • 1st place: $125

  • 2nd place: $75

  • 3rd place: $50

Video

  • 1st: $250

  • 2nd: $150

  • 3rd: $100

High school prizes

Poster

  • 1st place: $125

  • 2nd place: $75

  • 3rd place: $50

Video

  • 1st: $300

  • 2nd: $200

  • 3rd: $100

Three teachers whose classes submit the most submissions will win $75 each. Submissions entered before Jan. 6, 2023 will be eligible for an early bird prize of $50. Three early bird winners will be randomly selected. Finalists will be selected in March 2023, and an award celebration will be held in May to honor winners and participants.

The Protect Me With 3+ contest is a collaboration between PMCH and DOH.

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