Contest, Contest, Read All About It!

News provided by

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Sep 07, 2010, 02:42 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by CPSC Blogger:

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Calling all middle schoolers! CPSC is hosting a poster contest on carbon monoxide safety.

Carbon monoxide is called the "invisible killer." That's because it's a gas that you can't see or smell and it can kill its victims quickly. It gets into homes from:

Running a portable generator in an enclosed space, basement or living area
Running a car in an attached garage
Poorly operating fuel-burning appliances or faulty ventilation
Burning charcoal inside your home

To help raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide, or CO, in homes, CPSC wants middle schoolers to create a poster and try to WIN prize money. The contest is open to students in grades 6, 7 and 8. Nine of them (3 from each grade) will be chosen to win $250. A grand finalist from the group will receive an additional grand prize of $500.

Each year more than 150 people in the U.S. die from accidental non-fire CO poisoning associated with consumer products and that number is on the rise. The winning poster will be used in CPSC's outreach to get the word out about this danger.

So, don't delay. Get your middle schooler involved. All the details are right on CPSC's contest page at http://www.challenge.gov/cpsc. See our new CO video there too. Once your middle schooler has drawn the poster, submit it on our contest site. Posters will be judged on the clarity of the CO message, visual appeal and originality. Be sure to support the challenge and share it with all your friends. And check back to the contest page often. We'll be showing you the posters as they arrive.

Who:	Middle school students in 6, 7 and 8th grades are eligible to participate
What:	Carbon Monoxide Poster Contest
When:	September 7 through December 31, 2010
Where:	Find out more about the contest and the rules and submit posters at www.challenge.gov/cpsc. Posters can also be submitted by mail to CPSC Poster Contest, 4330 East West Hwy, Rm. 519, Bethesda, MD 20814
WOW:	Prize Money will be awarded to the top nine finalists!

CPSC Media Contact: Patty Davis, Stacey Palosky 301-504-7908

Learn more about CPSC's carbon monoxide poster contest on Challenge.gov, a new online platform that empowers the Federal Government to bring the best ideas and top talent to bear on our nation's most pressing problems. On Challenge.gov, entrepreneurs, leading innovators and citizen solvers can compete for prizes by providing novel solutions to tough problems and, at the same time, take pride in engaging with their government to advance national priorities. Unveiled today, Challenge.gov is the latest milestone in the Administration's commitment to use prizes and challenges to spur innovation by tapping into the wisdom and experience of the American people.

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission