Students around the province are invited each year to participate in the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual Remembrance Day poster, essay, and poetry contests.
“Information on the contest is provided to schools and it is hoped that most teachers in the district will involve their students in the contest in some way,” says Vivian MacNeil, the Royal Canadian Legion Cariboo Zone Commander.
Copies of the contest rules and a pamphlet titled The Story of Remembrance Day, Why We Wear a Poppy were delivered to schools by September to give teachers lots of time to prepare their students for participating, says contest chair Sandra Abbott.
“Students should ask their teachers about the contest as the deadline for submissions is coming up on Nov. 18,” Abbott says. “And there are money prizes to be won.”
Contest categories include Primary, Grades 1, 2, 3; Junior, Grades 4, 5, 6; Intermediate, Grades 7, 8, 9; and Senior, Grades 10, 11, 12.
The contest information includes guidelines for the correct length and theme for essays and poems and size requirements for posters. There are categories for both colour and black and white posters.
In the Williams Lake area cash prizes in each category are $50 for first place, $35 for second place and $25 for third place.
Initial judging takes place at the community level by volunteers at local legion branches. First place entries progress to judging at the provincial level. First place provincial entries are forwarded to Dominion Command in Ottawa where they are judged and the national winners are then declared.
Winning entries at the national level, along with the names of the entrants, are then published in the Winners Booklet sent to all branches and available for schools.
Cash prizes are also awarded at each level
The information guide for teachers on the contest includes notes on Canadian military history, the legion and important Canadian symbols; remembrance themes in stories, songs and poems, and suggestions for school Remembrance activities; information about the Poppy campaign and how the money donated is used along with information about the poster, literary and poetry contests.