“What Home Means to Me” 2025 Poster Contest Entry Rules
Poster Specifications:
Theme - "What Home Means to Me"
Posters must be at least 8.5 x 11 paper size (letter size) and have a LANDSCAPE (HORIZONTAL) orientation.
Media - Contestant may use any art media (marker, crayon, paint, collage, textiles, etc.), but please consider that posters will need to be packaged, mailed and reproduced.
All entries must be mailed flat.
All contestants must sign a release making their entry the property of NAHRO and permitting duplication/publication thereof. The release should be secured to the back of the entry.
All regional finalists and national winners must sign a photo release waiver giving NAHRO permission to use their picture for online and print publication.
All contestants are asked to provide a short narrative on the inspiration, vision, and importance of their poster design. The narrative should be secured on the back of the entry.
Contestants name, grade level, and housing authority must be written on the back of each poster entry in addition to being listed on the release form also attached to the entry.
NAHRO is only responsible for returning the original poster to the national grand prize winner. NAHRO is not responsible for returning poster unless otherwise contacted by October 1.
National winners will be selected based on how well the artwork uses the “What Home Means to Me” theme.
Eligibility and Selection Categories:
Contest participation is open to all children residing in affordable housing assisted directly or supported under community development and affordable housing programs administered by a NAHRO member authority (i.e., public or Section 8-assisted housing CDBG, HOME, LIHTC). Entries must be created by only one person. Entries created by two or more people will not be accepted.
Age Categories:
Elementary - K to 5th grade;
Middle - 6th to 8th grade;
High – 9th to 12th grade
Contest Overview:
1) NAHRO member housing authorities submit their entries to their local/state NAHRO chapter. If your local/state NAHRO chapter does not hold a poster contest, contact your NAHRO regional council for more information regarding their poster competition.
2) Local/state NAHRO chapters may submit entries to their regional council.
3) The regional councils hold separate contests and send their top three winners (one from each age category) to NAHRO.
4) NAHRO holds a national contest to pick the 12 national winners.
Local Chapter/State Competitions:
Housing authorities must be active NAHRO members to participate in the “What Home Means to Me” poster contest.
Housing authorities submitting entries to the national poster contest must first send entries to their local/state NAHRO chapter or NAHRO regional council.
While local state/chapter contests are optional, NAHRO encourages local/state NAHRO chapters to host their own poster contests and submit the winning posters to their regional council. If your local/state NAHRO chapter does not hold a poster contest, contact your NAHRO regional council for more information regarding their poster competition.
NAHRO will not accept submissions from individual housing authorities. Any submissions sent directly to NAHRO will be disqualified.
Regional Council Competitions:
Each regional council will determine a deadline for their poster contest entries and a date for regional judging. NAHRO is not involved in the scheduling or management of regional council contests. The eight regional councils will select three winners –one from each age category – and forward those winners to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
National Competition:
National honorees will be selected by a panel of judges assembled by NAHRO staff. National honorees will be announced during Housing America Month in October. All eight NAHRO regions will be represented in the calendar.
Deadline for submission of regional honorees to NAHRO is Monday, July 1, 2024.
Regional honorees should be mailed to:
NAHRO-2025 Poster Contest
Attn: Joseph Macias, Director of Development
630 I Street NW Washington, DC 20001
National Prizes
The grand prize cover winner will also receive an iPad and a framed copy of their original artwork. The cover winner and one legal guardian will also receive a tour of Capitol Hill and attend NAHRO’s Washington Conference in Washington, D.C. where he or she will be honored. The 12 national winners will each receive a $100 gift card (the committee is reviewing the prize for each winner, so this $100 gift card may increase to a better prize).
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