2016 National Radon Poster and Video Contests Now Accepting Entries

 

[February 26, 2016]  SPRINGFIELD – A poster submitted by Ally Abel, a student at Byron Middle School in Byron, recently won third place in the 2015 National Radon Poster Contest. Abel’s poster was one of three entries submitted to the national contest by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association in Illinois (ALAIL), which sponsor the state-level contest each year.

Abel will receive $200 for her third-place finish in the national contest.

“We’re excited that Ally’s poster was recognized as one of the best in the nation,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “This annual contest helps us teach young people about the hazards of radon, and they help us spread this important health risk message through their creative posters.”

The National Radon Poster Contest is sponsored by the American Lung Association and Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The annual contest helps raise awareness of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S., up to 1,200 of those in Illinois.

IEMA and the ALAIL announced entries are now being accepted for this year’s radon poster and video contests. The statewide contests encourage students to use their creative talents to promote radon awareness.

The Illinois Radon Poster Contest is open to students ages 9-14. Entries are due by March 1. Prizes include $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place. For more information about the poster contest, visit http://healthhouse.org/radon/il_poster.cfm.

High school students can compete for prizes by producing creative 60-second YouTube videos about radon and entering them in the statewide High School Radon Video Contest. Videos can be created by an individual student, group of students or classroom. Prizes include $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place, $500 for third place and $250 for seven honorable mention videos.

The top 10 videos will also be entered into a ‘most views’ contest to develop students’ marketing and outreach skills. Winners will be provided a link to share with their friends. The video with the most views will receive an additional $300.

In addition, the schools of the top three winners will receive $300, $200 and $100 for first, second and third places, respectively.

All videos, entry forms and release forms must be submitted by March 8. Details about the video contest are available on the American Lung Association in Illinois (ALAIL) website at www.healthhouse.org/radon/il_vidcontest.cfm.

All contest prizes are funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both contests are sponsored by IEMA, ALAIL and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5.

The top posters and videos from the 2015 contests can be viewed on IEMA’s radon website at www.radon.illinois.gov. The website also includes information about radon and lists of licensed measurement and mitigation professionals. Information is also available through IEMA’s Radon Hotline at 800-325-1245.

[Illinois Emergency Management Agency]