December 5, 2008 - Silver Spring, MD – Every young boy and girl wants to be a millionaire when they grow up, but just how might they go about getting from point A to point B? The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is providing students with the opportunity to contemplate that thought and express it through art.
In an effort to spread lessons in financial literacy to our nation’s youth, the NFCC is once again
sponsoring the Be Money Wi$e National Financial Literacy Poster Contest for 2009.
The contest is designed to get young students thinking about how to manage money effectively and offers
them a creative outlet to demonstrate their knowledge. It also offers the opportunity for local
and national recognition for student artwork and rewards winners with U.S. savings bonds and
other prizes.
“Teachers have found this to be a creative way to introduce their students to the concept of
financial literacy, and often incorporate it into their lesson plans,” said Gail Cunningham,
spokesperson for the NFCC. “The idea has been widely embraced, with thousands of posters
submitted over the past few years.”
The theme of the NFCC’s 2009 Be Money Wise Poster Contest is “I’m going to be a millionaire
because I…” All school-aged children in grades 3-12 are eligible to enter with local and national
winners to be chosen from each of three grade categories. Students from public or private
schools may enter the contest, as well as home-schooled children or those in after-school
programs.
Entries will be judged on expression of the theme, artistic style, and creativity, and must be
submitted to an NFCC Member Agency for judging. The submission deadline for poster entries
is in February 2009, with specific deadlines varying by NFCC Member Agency.
Local winners become National Finalists, as submitted by each NFCC Member Agency.
National Finalists will be placed in contention for three national awards, one per grade category,
by a panel of judges representing academia, the media and government. An overall National
Winner will also be chosen from the three category winners.
All National Finalists will receive a commemorative t-shirt, and each national grade category
winner will receive an award plaque and a $100 savings bond. In addition to these prizes, the
National Winner will be given an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC with a parent or
guardian and will be given official recognition in April as part of Financial Literacy Month on
Capitol Hill.
The 2008 National Winner was 8th grader Harrison Noh of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
To become involved, teachers, parents, and/or students are encouraged to visit the Web site
created specifically for this contest, www.MoneyWisePosterContest.org, where they can find
more detailed information, including contest rules, entry forms, and where to submit poster
entries.
National organizations have joined the NFCC to support and promote this youth financial
literacy initiative. They include: American Bankers Association Education Foundation,
Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, Junior Achievement USA, and National
Education Association Member Benefits.
To learn more about the 2009 NFCC Be Money Wi$e Financial Literacy Poster Contest, visit
www.MoneyWisePosterContest.org.