WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing the winners of its first-ever poster contest for middle school students on carbon monoxide (CO) safety. Trachell from Hawaii was awarded the grand prize; Finalists from California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Finalists include:
| 6th grade: |
Kenya from California |
| DJ from Pennsylvania |
| Skyler from Missouri |
| 7th grade: |
Shravani from New Hampshire |
| Matthew from New York |
| Zacchaeus from North Carolina |
| 8th grade: |
Trachell from Hawaii (Grand prize winner) |
| Ivie from Virginia |
| Gina from Massachusetts |
"Congratulations to all the winners of CPSC's carbon monoxide poster contest," said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "We heard from middle school teachers that their students not only had fun creating the posters but also learned about the dangers of carbon monoxide. Our staff had a real challenge choosing the winners because there were so many terrific entries."
CPSC received nearly 450 entries from 6th, 7th and 8th grade students across the nation. The contest is intended to raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide in the home. CPSC estimates there were 184 unintentional non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated with consumer products each year from 2005 to 2007.
CPSC staff evaluated poster entries based on the CO safety message, visual appeal and design originality. The three finalists selected from each grade level, 6, 7 and 8th, will each receive $250. One grand prize winner was selected from the nine finalists. That person receives an additional $500.
Watch this video to see the winning posters. Download CPSC's Neighborhood Safety Network poster (pdf) featuring the winning submission. Visit www.Challenge.gov/cpsc to see all the submissions. CPSC's carbon monoxide poster contest was hosted on Challenge.gov, the federal government's website that uses prizes and challenges to promote innovation.
Grand Prize Winning Poster: Designed by 8th grader Trachell from Hawaii
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @OnSafety or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.