The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum

2025 Black History Month K-12 Poster Competition

“African Americans and Labor”

Sponsored by The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum

Image of Carter G. Woodson Lyceum Logo
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the father of black history, said that the turning point in his career came during his West Virginia years, a period that included work in the coal mines, graduation from Huntington’s Douglass School (1896) and subsequent service as its principal. A statue of Dr. Woodson, located at 820 Hal Greer Blvd., honors his connections to Huntington and West Virginia. Marshall University memorialized Dr. Woodson’s achievements by creating The Lyceum in his honor.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all K-12 students. One entry per student. It is free to enter. Students will compete in one of three categories: Elementary School, Middle School or High School.

Prizes Awarded

  • $100 Prize for Poster Design by an Elementary School Student
  • $100 Prize for Poster Design by a Middle School Student
  • $100 Prize for Poster Design by a High School Student
  • Teachers of the winning students receive $50.00.

Due November 15th, 2024 at 10:00 pm

Guidelines

Students are encouraged to communicate ideas and concepts they have learned in school and/or personal research. Entries will be judged based on these criteria:

  1. Theme: the extent to which the design effectively expresses the 2025 theme, “African Americans and Labor.”
    The annual national theme is developed by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1915. Information about the theme is available here. (PDF)
  2. Social Impact: the potential of the design to improve race relations and/or preserve/observe Black history.
  3. Visual Impact: the expression of ideas through the composition and execution of the poster.
  4. Statement: description of the research, what the student learned and factors that were considered in designing the poster. The statement should be at least 100 words.

Poster Design

Students may create their posters using digital tools and/or traditional media such as letterpress, silkscreen, markers, paint, pens, collage, stitching, photography, mixed media, etc. If using traditional media, scan or photograph your entry for online submission.

Posters should be 11 x 14 inches. Submit only JPG, JPEG, or PDF formats. Images must be 24 MB or smaller.

Students should submit their entries and statements no later than November 15th at 10 p.m.

Judging

A diverse committee will judge the posters, and winners will be invited guests at the Awards Ceremony early next semester, when the posters will be unveiled. The winning posters may be reproduced and displayed on the Marshall University campus and featured on The Woodson Lyceum’s website. Winners and their teachers will need to complete paperwork to receive the monetary prizes. Winners grant The Woodson Lyceum and Marshall University permission to use the posters in their promotions.

For questions about the competitions, contact Dr. Carline Waugh, chair of the Competition Committee, at waughc@marshall.edu; or Professor Burnis Morris, director of the Woodson Lyceum, at morrisb@marshall.edu.

Poster Entry

Student's Information

Student's Name(Required)
Competition Entered(Required)
I am from...(Required)

School's Information

School Address
It is OK if you don't know the exact address of your school. Please be sure to at least fill in the city and state. Thanks!

Teacher's Information

Teacher's Name(Required)

Additional Contact Information

Student's Address(Required)
Parent or Guardian's Name

Entry Submission

Please state in a complete paragraph or two what you learned about Black history in preparing your entry for this competition. (Note: Dr. Woodson encouraged those participating in African American history events to state what they learned about Black history during the previous 12 months.)
Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, pdf, Max. file size: 24 MB.

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