Community Hero Poster Contest
Be a #CommunityPoweredHero!
Your community works together to make it a great place to live. As a community-owned utility, you provide power to help your community members do amazing things. We want to know: Who are the heroes in your community? Everyone has their own ideas for what makes someone a hero, and we know that your community — like every community across the country — is filled with unsung heroes. To highlight the heroes in your community, we want to hear from young people about who inspires them, boosts their spirits, and helps them and your community become better! That’s why we want the students in your community to participate in the American Public Power Association’s Community Heroes Poster Contest and show us their own #CommunityPoweredHero.
How can young people participate?
- They can start by creating a poster about a community hero — whether their hero is one of their teachers, their soccer coach, a Scout leader, or anyone else! Ask them to design a poster that creatively shows why their nominee is a #CommunityPoweredHero. The poster can be created on paper (e.g., with pen and paper) or online using software.
- To be eligible to win the Community Hero Poster Contest, students or their parents can take a photo of the poster, then share it on a public Instagram or Twitter account using the contest hashtag (#CommunityPoweredHero) and tagging your utility using your social media handles (make sure to include those when you promote). They should include a brief explanation (100 words or less) that answers the question, “Why is this person your community hero?” Please note that submissions should not include any identifiable information (e.g., names, pictures) about children under the age of 13.
- Submissions must be posted on Instagram or Twitter by October 2, 2020.
How should you judge contest submissions at the local level?
Choose one grand prize winner from your community. (You may choose to have several prizes for winners at different levels, but you can only submit one winner for consideration in the national contest). Determine the prizes for your contest, such as a gift certificate to a local restaurant, tickets to a sporting event in your town, or anything else you want to offer. Get creative with your prize and find something that will motivate people in your community to participate. Make sure to state the prize(s) when you promote the contest.
How does your community compete at the national level?
What makes this contest particularly special is that your community winner will compete for the American Public Power Association’s national prize! Post a photo of your community’s winning entry on your utility Twitter or Instagram (along with the hashtag #CommunityPoweredHero) by 11:59 PM ET, October 9, 2020 to be eligible in our national judging. The national winner will receive $500. We will announce the national winner at 11:00 AM ET on October 16, 2020.
How can you spread the word about the contest?
We encourage you to start your outreach to the community about the contest as soon as possible so schools, parents, and caregivers have time to encourage young people to join in. To help you spread the word, we’ve included the following materials for you to use:
- Contest guidelines: Use the contest guidelines template to recruit participation in your community. Tailor the language to include details specific to your local contest and use in email communications and create a landing page* on your utility website for the contest. You also can use the copy to post social media messages about the contest. Make sure to clearly state all contest rules and prizes in your communications.
- Social media graphic: Use this graphic to get the word out to school staff, teachers, parents, and caregivers about the contest and how their children and students can get involved.
- Poster/flyer: This material can be printed to hand out to students as a flyer, or you can make larger versions of it to hang in schools and other places around town to share the information with your community’s young people. The template is also available in 11×17.
*Link each social media post promoting the contest to a landing page on your website with the contest rules. If you don’t have the ability to create your own landing page for the contest, you can link to the contest rules on WeAreCommunityPowered.com/hero.
Please note that any promotional materials created for the contest should not be specifically targeted to children under the age of 13 (e.g., by including photos of children under 13, specifically referring to participation by children in elementary school, presence of characters or celebrities that specifically appeal to young children).
The Association will select the poster and will announce the national winner on its social media platforms by sharing the winner’s social media handle, but no other publicity will be used. Winners will be notified by the Association via direct message through the platform to which they posted. The brands of each prize are not co-sponsors of this contest, and this promotion is not endorsed by Instagram or Twitter. No purchase necessary. By submitting a photo or video, you are stating that you took the photo or video and own the rights to the photo or video. By entering, you also grant the Association permission to use your photo or video in perpetuity in any medium.
Thank you for your participation! We are #CommunityPowered! www.WeAreCommunityPowered.com
The Association will select the poster and will announce the national winner on its social media platforms by sharing the winner’s social media handle, but no other publicity will be used. Winners will be notified by the Association via direct message through the platform to which they posted. The brands of each prize are not co-sponsors of this contest, and this promotion is not endorsed by Instagram or Twitter. No purchase necessary. By submitting a photo or video, you are stating that you took the photo or video and own the rights to the photo or video. By entering, you also grant the Association permission to use your photo or video in perpetuity in any medium.
Thank you for your participation! We are #CommunityPowered!
