Radon poster contest kicks off in Southwest Nebraska

Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department announces an opportunity for youth ages 9 to 14 to participate in the annual radon poster contest. The contest works to educate youth about the dangers of radon exposure in the home.
“The radon poster contest is a great way to teach kids about radon, which is a common health hazard in Nebraska,” states Joy Trail, Program Manager. “The kids share what they learned about radon on their posters and then those posters are used to raise awareness in the community.” Students can be sponsored by public, private, or home school —or through a sponsoring club, such as an art, computer, or science club, scouting organization, or 4-H club.
Poster Requirements
On white paper—preferred size is 12 x 18 or 8.5 x 11 but all submission sizes will be accepted.
Digital submissions are also accepted. This may be either digital artwork or digital photos of paper artwork.
Can be created with crayon, markers, paint (watercolor, acrylic, etc.), collage, pencil, photographs, or computer graphics.
Be original (please do not copy previous national, state, or local winning posters).
Must NOT have the student’s name on the front.
Copyrighted characters (such as Disney, Marvel Comics, Nebraska Huskers, any sports teams), product logos and trademarked or brand names cannot be used.
The deadline for submitting posters to teachers is Nov. 30, 2023. Posters can then be dropped off at the office located at 404 West 10th Street in McCook, mailed to PO Box 1235, McCook NE 69001, or emailed to info@swhealth.ne.gov.
Prizes will be given to the top 3 posters in three age groups: 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. Every child that participates will receive a gift and their teachers and parents are encouraged to share their posters with their communities to help raise awareness of radon gas.
In Nebraska, one out of every two homes tested has a high radon level. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that enters homes and buildings through the breakdown of uranium in the soil and cannot be detected unless it is tested.
Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department serves Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Perkins, and Red Willow counties. For more information, visit swhealth.ne.gov, call 308-345-4223 or follow SWNPHD on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.