FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
MONTANA OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
January 29, 2021
Montana DOJ, OPI Announce National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest
Montana 5th graders encouraged to participate in 2021 ‘Bringing Our Missing Children Home’ poster contest
HELENA – The Montana Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) are working together to give Montana students the opportunity to participate in state and national poster contests focusing on the theme of “Bringing Our Missing Children Home.”
“This program not only allows our fifth-graders to compete in state and national poster contests; it gives parents and teachers a good opportunity to talk to young people about the importance of personal safety,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “I’m looking forward to partnering with Superintendent Arntzen to get the word out to Montana’s fifth graders and to seeing their creative entries,” Knudsen added.
“As a former fifth grade teacher, I recognize students’ ability to be authentic and creative. This year’s contest theme of Bring Our Missing Children Home gives students an incredible opportunity to shine attention on a serious issue facing Montana,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “I encourage all Montana fifth grade students, teachers, and families to join the Department of Justice and the Office of Public Instruction in participating in this year’s Missing Children poster contest.”
The student winning the state contest will celebrate with Attorney General Knudsen and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen at a later date and receive a $100 cash prize. The winning Montana poster will then be submitted to the national contest. The national poster contest winner, along with his/her parents and teacher, will be awarded a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the National Missing Children’s Day ceremony on May 20, 2021.
Posters must be original, handcrafted artwork; 8 ½ x 14 inches in size, with the words “Bringing Our Missing Children Home” appearing on the poster. Posters with digitally produced images, collages, cut-outs, and stamping will not be accepted. Poster artwork will be judged on originality, creativity, use of color and materials, and reflection of contest theme.
A written poster contest student application form must be submitted along with each poster. The application will be judged on the level of understanding of the subject, clarity, and grammar appropriate for the fifth grade. Application and consent forms are available here.
Montana has participated in the annual national “Bringing Our Missing Children Home” poster contest since 2009. To see a list of the persons currently missing in Montana and to get more information on Montana’s AMBER Alert and Missing Persons programs, visit https://dojmt.gov/missing-persons/. The Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse and the Montana AMBER Alert Program are operated by DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation.
Since 2003, the Montana DOJ has issued 45 AMBER Alerts. All 63 children involved were located; tragically, four of them were deceased. In 2016, Montana began using CodeRED to issue AMBER Alerts.
Posters and student application forms must be received by March 1, 2021. Send them to:
Montana Department of Justice
Missing Persons Clearinghouse
2225 11th Avenue
PO Box 201406
Helena, MT 59620
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Contact:
Dr. Greg Dern, Communications Director, 406-444-3449
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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