Kentucky State Police (KSP) is looking for 5th-grade artists to compete in the National Missing Children’s Day poster contest sponsored by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C.

KSP will select a nominee from Kentucky and forward it to DOJ, where one poster from all state nominated entries will be selected as a winner. The artist of the national winning poster will receive a free trip to Washington, D.C. and participate in the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony, where he or she will receive an award and a U.S. Savings Bond.

The Kentucky nominee will receive an Award of Excellence from KSP, and the winning poster will be prominently displayed at the Kentucky State Fair in KSP’s Safety Town Exhibit.

The theme for the contest is “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” Many schools incorporate this campaign as part of a lesson plan in the classroom. In 2011, Kentucky had 4,520 minor children reported missing, and 179 of those are still active. Nationally, 800,000 children are reported missing every year.

KSP has contest guidelines and information available here. Poster entries should be mailed to Kentucky State Police on or before March 2 to the KSP Public Affairs Branch, 919 Versailles Road, Frankfort KY 40601.