ABOUT THE CONTEST

Did you know that 3 out of every 10 girls in the United States will get pregnant as teenagers? That's about 750,000 girls every year. Or 2,000 girls EVERY DAY. 1 out of every 10 children born in the U.S. is born to a teen mom.

What would you say to other teens about preventing pregnancy? What kind of message -- or image -- do you think would make a difference? Why is it important to prevent teen pregnancy? Is there a slogan or visual image that gets the message across? Help us find the right way reach teens! Send us your idea and you could win the Stay Teen Pregnancy Prevention PSA Art Contest!



HOW TO ENTER

The Contest begins on May 1, 2010 at 12:00 noon EST and ends on September 30, 2010 at 11:59 pm PST. To enter, design a poster no bigger than 8.5 inches x 11 inches (regular size paper) that you think gets the message across about why preventing teen pregnancy is so important.

There are two ways to submit your design into the Stay Teen Pregnancy Prevention PSA Art Contest:

  1. Send it to Stay Teen Pregnancy Prevention PSA Art Contest c/o The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. You must include your name, age, date of birth, email address, phone number and mailing address. Please download a copy of our Contest Entry Form here, fill it out completely, and include it with your submission.
OR

  1. Upload a digital version your poster here: Upload Your Art


THE PRIZES

Five winners will be selected from among all eligible entries. Winning entries will be used by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy on postcards and posters and other materials distributed online and nationwide. Winning entries may also appear on websites of National Campaign partners. Each of the five winners will also receive a $250 gift card to spend however they choose. See the official contest rules for details.



CONTEST RULES

The official contest rules can be found at www.StayTeen.org/contest/rules.aspx. You don't need to buy anything to enter. You DO need to be a teenager -- ages 13-19 as of May 1, 2010. You must submit only your own original work -- no copying, borrowing, or stealing from others. You can draw, write, sketch, paint, photograph, or otherwise create material for your entry. No copyrighted logos or images allowed. You can enter as many times as you want -- we're interested in all your ideas!



HELPFUL INFORMATION

Visit Stay Teen (www.StayTeen.org) or the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy's website (www.TheNationalCampaign.org) for facts, ideas, statistics, and other information that may be useful. Entries may include information found on these websites but it's not necessary. We're looking for your ideas and your thoughts about the issue of teen pregnancy prevention.

Here are some sample messages to help get you started:

  • 3 in 10 girls in the U.S get pregnant at least once before age 20.
  • 750,000 girls in the U.S. get pregnant every year, more than 2,000 every day.
  • The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and teen birth in the fully industrialized world.
  • 1 in 6 girls in the U.S will be a teen mother. 1 in 10 babies in the U.S. are born to a teen mother.
  • Less than half of girls who have babies before age 18 graduate from high school. Fewer than 2% graduate from college by age 30.
  • The vast majority of teen pregnancies are unplanned -- most people never thought it would happen to them.
  • Teen pregnancy and childbearing cost taxpayers more than 9 billion dollars every year.
  • Teen pregnancy is hard on teens but even harder on their babies.
  • Children born to teens are more likely to be poor, do worse in school, suffer from abuse and neglect, and grow up apart from their fathers, compared to children born to older parents.
  • 8 out of 10 fathers don't marry the teen mother of their baby. Most couples don't stay together at all.
  • Sex won't make him yours and baby won't make him stay.
  • Babies need and deserve grown up parents.
  • It takes two to get pregnant but only one to prevent it.
  • Teen pregnancy is 100% preventable. Either don't have sex or use contraception every time.

Here are some sample images to illustrate the quality of work that we are looking for: