TOPEKA – (December 15, 2017) – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is accepting entries for the 2018 Missing Children’s Day poster contest, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.
All Kansas 5th grade students, from public, private, or home schools, are invited to create and submit artwork that represents the contest theme “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” The artwork must be original, handcrafted, 8 ½ x 14 inches in size, and contain the words “Bring Our Missing Children Home.”
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day. The annual national poster contest sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention creates an opportunity for schools, law enforcement and child advocates to discuss the issue of missing and/or exploited children with youth, parents and guardians and to promote child safety.
“This contest creates awareness for the children who are missing, while also providing parents and teachers an opportunity to talk to kids about what to do if they’re approached by strangers,” Schmidt said.
KBI Director Kirk Thompson added, “We’d like fifth graders to enter artwork to help us recognize missing Kansas kids, but ask that parents to take time to visit with their children about safety measures regardless of the child’s age.”
The statewide winner will have the opportunity to visit the Kansas Capitol and meet the governor and the attorney general. The winner’s poster will also represent Kansas in the national contest. The national poster contest winner, along with his or her parents and teacher, will be awarded a trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National Missing Children’s Day ceremony in May 2018.
Entries must be received by January 31, 2018. Complete contest rules and application forms are available at http://bit.ly/2g0efCH.
Kansas has been participating in the annual “Bring Our Missing Children Home” poster contest since 2008. The 2017 state contest winner was 11-year-old Kamryn Tuttle of Lansing, who attends the Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe. Kamryn’s winning poster can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2Ajf5na.