National Missing Children’s Day first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. President Reagan

used the 1979 abduction of 6-year-old Etan Patz to mark May 25th as Missing Children’s Day.

Every administration since has observed Missing Children’s Day.

“This observance provides an opportunity to honor hard-working and dedicated law enforcement officers, celebrate the recovery of missing children, and draw attention to children who are still missing. I commend local, state, and Federal law enforcement personnel for the important role they play...”

-GEORGE W. BUSHMay 25, 2001

In 1999 the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) initiated the National Poster Contest.

The annual theme of the Poster Contest is “Bring Our Missing Children Home.”

The contest is directed to children in the 5th grade.

In 2007 DOE joined with DOJ to promote the poster contest.

Information was sent to all the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program Coordinators and State Department of Education Directors.

Information will again be posted on the DOE website.

State Missing Children Clearinghouses and Missing Children Non-Profit Organizations manage the contest at the state level. They work directly with local schools to promote

and organize the competition. Other state and local

agencies/organizations participate in the contest.

Efforts are made to encourage integration of the contest into lesson plans in the schools.

Applicant must be in the 5th grade.

Artwork should reflect the theme “Bring Our Missing Children Home”. This phrase must appear somewhere on the poster.

The theme must be depicted visually in one or a combination of mediums, such as: acrylics, watercolor, pencil, charcoal, magic markers, spray paint, crayons, pastels, etc.

The finished poster must measure 11 x 14 inches.

The poster must be submitted with a completed application which includes a description of the poster and a brief biography of the artist.

States select their own first place winner. The winner of each state competition is sent to DOJ for the national judging.

Contact your State Missing Children Clearinghouse Manager to confirm the statewide judging process. The state's Missing Children Clearinghouse Manager will manage and coordinate the statewide judging and winner selection.

Establish your local process for selecting a winner. The process used to determine the winner of the local competitions will be the responsibility of the local entities.

Include local non-profit organizations and other missing children organizations in the local judging process. Competition may be conducted within the following: schools, school districts, home schools, local governing bodies, PTA's, Boys and Girls Club, etc.

Following local judging, follow the guidelines established by your State Missing Children Clearinghouse for submitting the winning entry.

The Clearinghouse submits the single winning poster to the Department of Justice. Entries for the national competition must be received by the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Child Protection Division by March 27, 2009 at the following address: Ron Laney, Associate Administrator

Child Protection Division 810 7th Street, NW Washington, DC  20531 FedEx Zip Code: 20001 202-616-3637

At the national level, judging will be conducted by representatives from OJJDP, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the law enforcement community.

The national award winner, his/her parents, and his/her teacher will be notified by OJJDP. They will receive a trip to Washington, DC.

Many states begin the competition on January 13th, AMBER Alert Awareness Day.

Each state establishes its own rules and deadlines for local and state competitions.

Contact your local Clearinghouse to find information about your state competition. (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/postercontest09/09_ch_managers_contacts.pdf)

The winning poster (original and copies) will be displayed at the Department of Justice and other locations as determined by the Department of Justice’s Child Protection Division, OJJDP.

The winning poster may be used in publications, exhibits, displays and on web sites as determined by the Department of Justice’s Child Protection Division, OJJDP.

This year’s winning poster will be used as the symbol for the National Missing Children's Day ceremony in 2010. The winner will once again travel to Washington, DC in 2010 when his/her poster will be presented as the national symbol for Missing Children's Day, 2010.

Photos of the winner and his/her poster will be available through the Child Protection Division and the Department of Justice and will be posted wherever contest information is available.

January 13, 2009 – AMBER Alert Awareness Day Begin discussing safety issues with students Provide poster contest information to 5th grade

students March, 2009

All school, local, regional and state poster competitions completed

March 27, 2009 Deadline for state winner contest packages to be

received by the Child Protection Division, OJJDP April, 2009

National Judges submit the name of the poster contest winner

May 1, 2009 National winner notified Travel arrangements will be provided for the National

winner to attend the National Missing Children's Day ceremony