Poster Contest Guidelines

The poster contest is designed to reaffirm the Tar Wars tobacco-free message during the classroom presentation. Please participate in the poster contest by sending your school's winning poster to your Tar Wars state coordinator for the state poster contest.

Your school's winning poster(s) should be sent to your state coordinator by the deadline set for your state. Poster contest deadlines vary from state to state. Go to Local Information to locate your state's poster contest deadline or to contact your state coordinator for more information about the poster contest.

The AAFP Tar Wars national office has set the following criteria for poster submissions. Please be sure to review these with your students to ensure compliance and avoid disqualification. Posters submitted to the state poster contest that do not adhere to these criteria may be disqualified.

• Only fourth- and fifth-grade students who have had the Tar Wars presentation are eligible to submit posters for the contest.
• Posters must incorporate creative and original artwork and ideas. Depictions of cartoon, video game, and movie/television characters; celebrities; movie themes; and past poster designs do not constitute creativity and originality.
• Posters must deliver a clear and positive message about being tobacco-free. Death themes and art displaying negative health consequences (ie, cigarettes, ashtrays, coffins, people smoking, etc.) are not considered positive messages and will not be accepted.
• Posters must be no larger than standard poster board size (22" x 28") and no smaller than 8.5" x 11".
• Posters should not be laminated or mounted on mat board. Also, do not staple, glue, or tape entry forms to the backs of posters.
• Ask students to refrain from writing their name or other identifying information on the front of their poster. Poster contest entry numbers should not be marked on the front of posters either.
• Students may use a variety of media, such as watercolor, pen and ink, crayon, chalk, markers, etc. Keep in mind that winning posters may be reproduced or reprinted, so clear artwork and easy to read messages are best.
• Computer clip art, pictures from magazines and other print media, or any other copyrighted brand or product images will not be accepted.
• Students may not work in pairs.
• Failure to comply with the guidelines could result in disqualification of the poster.
  

Your school's winning poster(s) should be sent to the state coordinator by the deadline they have set. The official poster contest entry form (PDF file: 1 page / 288 KB. More about PDFs.) and authorized release form (PDF file: 1 page / 170 KB. More about PDFs.) must accompany your poster submission. Winning state posters submitted to the AAFP Tar Wars National Poster Contest become property of the AAFP Tar Wars program and will not be returned. Be sure to make color copies of any poster(s) forwarded to the state- or national-level contest.

If your state does not have a coordinator, please contact the AAFP Tar Wars national office at 800-TAR-WARS for instructions on where to send your poster(s).

Once you’ve held the poster contest and sent the winning poster to your state coordinator, you may want to consider doing something special with the other posters. Here are a few ideas:

• Display posters in classrooms, display cases, the library, or cafeteria.
• Contact local businesses, city offices, or shopping malls about displaying posters.
• Present each judge with a poster as a “thank you” gift and send posters to all of your speakers.
• Ask the local telephone company to consider using a poster for their phone book cover.
• Create a calendar showcasing the students’ posters and use it as a fundraising project for your school.