July 16-17, 2012
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
Check out the AAFP News Now story about the 2011 AAFP Tar Wars first-place poster winner, Alana McGuinness, and first-place video winner, Blaire McCarthy.
State poster and video contest winners and their families are eligible to attend the annual Tar Wars National Conference, sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians. This event, which is held each year in the summer, celebrates youth, creativity, and being tobacco free and is jam-packed with fun, excitement, and learning opportunities for the entire family.
The Tar Wars National Conference concludes with a festive awards ceremony, during which the national winners are announced. Placements include special recognition, honorable mention for fifth through tenth place, and first through fourth place. All state winners in attendance receive a prize packet that includes a certificate of appreciation, a ribbon, a color copy of their poster, and a special gift.
The Tar Wars National Conference is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to receive recognition for their tobacco-free efforts, voice their opinions about tobacco use to their congressional leaders, participate in tobacco-free workshops, and meet other state winners who share their tobacco-free views. All state winners are encouraged to attend. Here's what some past attendees have said about their experience:
- "I wanted to thank you and everyone at the Tar Wars office for the opportunity to go to Washington, DC. It was fun meeting the students from other states and I learned a lot!"
- "Recognition of and focus on the kids was the most enjoyable aspect of the poster contest."
- "Everyone got an award. All were winners."
- "We have been so grateful for all that we've been able to do and see. This has been a great honor for our son. Thanks so much for providing the great experience."
- "We enjoyed meeting the families and children. We made a lot of friends here."
- "...being able to share this message with our state senators and reps -- it felt good to be a part of something good."
- "This is a wonderful program and I am glad to be a part of it."
- "It was really fun. . . . The whole thing made me feel really special. Again, thank you so much."
Nearly 40 children, all of them winners of Tar Wars poster contests in their respective states, meet with their senators and representatives and talk about the need for greater tobacco control efforts. The seat of legislative action, DC, is the perfect place to vocalize our tobacco-free message and celebrate the students' achievements.
The Tar Wars program has been implemented in all 50 states, several territories and internationally, and has reached more than 8 million children. Without the state coordinators’ dedication and the students’ creative ideas, Tar Wars would not be the successful program it is today. We look forward to celebrating you in DC.
Questions
If you have questions, please contact the Tar Wars staff at 800-TAR-WARS or at tarwars@aafp.org.