Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest

A great way to prepare children for the upcoming celebration of the birth of Christ is through the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest. It will be instrumental in allowing the participating children to reflect on the significance of our Savior’s birth, as they participate in the season of Advent.

The Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest is open to boys and girls age 5-14. There are three participating age groups: age 5-7, 8-10, and age 11-14. Children can compete in only one Council level contest. Age is determined by participant’s age as of November 1.

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Time Frame

The Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest is held (Council level) in early December. Councils should plan on completing judging before Christmas, if possible. Winning Council posters in each category/age group (along with entry form) should be forwarded to KCIC Poster Chairman, Gerald Fetzer (address below), by January 15. State judging will be completed by January 31.

KCIC Poster Contest

Gerald Fetzer

521 Tory Ln

Marion IA 52302

Preparing for Contest

Council Youth Director or Poster Contest Coordinator, should order Poster kits early in July (along with other kits for Youth Activities in which the Council will be participating). If your Council’s Parish has a school, it is recommended that you coordinate with the school early in November, as to when would be the best time to have the contest (given the council time frame above – and holiday schedule). When a date is established, ask if there is a school department that would be most appropriate through which to “roll out” the contest within the school (i.e., Religion class, Art class). Utilize that department/teacher to assist with getting the word out within the school. (Don’t be shy! You will find out that most schools will jump at the chance to have a school project for their students, and they will work with you to ensure success of the venture!) Further ensure that the school displays their participants prominently in a common area within the school/parish while contest is underway.

If you do not have a school within your Parish, advertise – with the permission of the Parish Priest -- via church bulletin item and/or Poster Kit items. Entry forms should be available at the Parish office or in common areas in the gathering space, i.e. kiosks. In soliciting participants, don’t forget Youth Religious Education/ Faith Formation classes.

Scoring

Posters are judged on a 100-point scoring system to determine winners:

Slogan – 30 points – How clearly is theme presented?
Visuals – 30 points – How well do the visuals convey the message?
Overall Impact – 40 points – How effective was the poster in capturing your attention and causing you to reflect on the topic?

Awards

Awards are at the discretion of the Council. Certificates should be provided to all participants and are included in the kit. Winner’s awards: some ideas that I have seen are art kits, ribbons, or a picture of the winning poster incorporated into a winner’s certificate, which, when framed, can be an inexpensive yet meaningful award to the winner(s). Don’t let lack of imagination hold back your choice of awards!

State winners will be awarded a plaque which will be given out following judging at the State level. Winning Councils and their District Deputies will be notified via e-mail of the winners.

International award recipients will be announced at the end of the Columbian Year.

Questions

If you have any questions about the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest – or any unique ideas to share, please give me a call. I’m happy to assist.

Contest Rules

Posters must reflect either the theme of Keep Christ in Christmas.
Each poster should be the original work (including concept, layout, slogan and visual images) of a single person.
Posters must be 11x17 inches in size. If chalks, charcoal or pastels are used the poster must be laminated or covered in clear plastic.
Posters must be submitted with a completed Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest entry form attached. In addition, the name and grade of participant should be included on back of poster.
Don’t forget to include the Council number on the entry form.
All entries become the property of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council and posters will not be returned.