Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Design Challenge 2019

An Invitation to our Knights of Columbus

Dear parents/guardians, grandparents and teachers:

This comes to invite children ages 5-14 to take part in our annual Keep Christ in Christmas poster challenge. The contest is open to 5-7, 8-10 and11-14 year olds with three cash prizes in each group. We are anticipating an enthusiastic response again this year and we appreciate your help to make that happen.

This is a fun contest that provides an opportunity to witness the creativity and optimism of our young people and, through their artwork, to help us all to keep Christ at the centre of our upcoming Christmas 2019 celebrations. Last December an eight-year old submitted a drawing of a special wreath with the manger in the centre and this touching caption – the reason there is a hole in the wreath is so God can peer in on us and see if we are fulfilling his dreams. That submission along with many others made the poster challenge so worthwhile for all Councils who sponsored it last year. Our hope once again is that, through this project, the true spirit of Christmas will be promoted in our homes, parishes and communities.

The guidelines for the competition are simple. Each entry must be original, from concept to layout, slogan and image, and represent the child’s own work. Each poster must reflect the Keep Christ in Christmas theme with a visual image that is about 11×17 inches (28x43cm) in size. Poster paper will be available at the Church entry and through the catechism classes beginning November 24th. If pastels, chalk or charcoal are used, the poster should be laminated or covered with clear plastic. The name and age of each artist and his or her parish church must be printed on the reverse side of the poster. No names should appear on the front side of the poster so that fair judging can take place.

A 100-point system is used for the judging: Slogan – 30 points for how clearly the theme is presented, Visuals – 30 points for how well the visuals convey the message, and Overall Impact – 40 points for how well the poster captures attention and causes reflection on the theme.

All entries received by the deadline will be assessed by a team of impartial judges and winners will be announced in the Christmas bulletin. Winning posters for the pastoral unit will be kept on display in our parish churches over the Christmas season.

Our Council winners will move on to a provincial competition on January 18th and PEI winners, with parental consent, will then be sent on for an international competition, with creative credit going to each winning artist. Last year our K of C Council awarded $250 in cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each age group and first-place PEI posters were sent to New Haven, Connecticut in mid-February. All children and youth who enter the contest will receive a special Certificate from our Council for taking part and posters will be returned to their creators in the new year.

All posters must be submitted by Sunday noon December 15th to be entered in the contest. They can be left in a box provided at the entry of the church in a sealed envelope or poster tube.

Last year Knights of Columbus Councils around the world adopted a new Faith in Action Program with four major pathways to making the world a better place – Faith, Family, Community and Life. Keep Christ in Christmas is one of our flagship Family Programs. Nine of our 21 K of C Councils across PEI participated in this project last year and we want to at least match if not surpass that this Advent Season.

We thank all the children who took part last year and their family members and teachers who encouraged them. With your cooperation, encouragement and support, we look forward to another great poster challenge throughout our Pastoral Unit and across PEI.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Basil Favaro, PEI KofC Family Coordinator,

Paul Roberts, Grand Knight, Council #10808

Here is a link to see last year’s winning posters: https://kofcpei.com/2019/01/16/keep-christ-in-christmas-poster-contest/