The Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl Poster Contest Flyer!
Children from first through fifth grade are invited to participate in the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Poster Contest!
Poster Rules and Tips
1. All poster entrees must be sponsored by a local Garden Club.
2. Posters must feature Smokey Bear or Woodsy Owl and
may NOT feature both together.
3. Smokey Bear posters MUST include Smokey’s wildfire prevention message:
Only you Can Prevent Wildfires!
4. Woodsy Owl posters MUST include Woodsy’s conservation message:
Lend a Hand, Care for the Land!
5. Each poster MUST be 11 x 17 inches in size.
6. A good poster has a bold and simple and its message is easily
read and understood and is delivered both in picture and in text.
7. Materials that can be used include: crayons, markers, poster paints,
water colors, etc. The choice of paper is up to the child.
8. Posters may include artwork pasted upon a second piece of paper.
However, they must be flat. No 3-dimensional posters, computer
scanned, or electronically generated material will be accepted.
9. The artist’s name, address, home phone, grade, school,
teacher’s name, city and state must be printed on the back of the
poster in the lower right corner. Please print the label from GCG website,
then cut, paste or tape to the back of each poster.
10. Each poster MUST also show the sponsoring local garden club name and city.
11. Posters are the product of individual student artists.
12. Students should check spelling. Posters with spelling errors will be disqualified.
13. Posters are judged for originality, design, slogan, artwork, and overall effectiveness of the message.
14. Since Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl are Official icons protected by law, the colors of their clothing MUST be accurate. Check the colors on www.symbols.gov. For free participation certificates, click on NGC Poster Contest at symbols website. A poster may include just the head of Smokey or Woodsy Owl or their whole body. Woodsy Owl vintage images may also be used.
15. Winning posters should be copied as they will not be returned.
16. Visit deepsouthgardenclubs.com and www.gardenclub.org for further contest details.
17. Only 5 first place posters in the State competition will be entered in Regional competition. Regional winners will be entered in National competition. National entries become the property of NGC.
18. Please complete the Chairman winning posters report and local accountability form and send with posters.
State Club Poster Chairman must have posters to the Deep South Poster Chairman no later than February 3, 2026. Please include district winners report and accountability forms.
Mail only one poster from each grade level to: Mary Ogden, 51 Horton Road; Odum, GA 31555.
If you have questions or need help, feel free to contact Mary at 912-294-4144.
