Students across the state are invited to participate in the fifth annual Alaska Radon Poster Contest, an event created as an outlet for Alaska youth to showcase their artistic talents and promotion for a public health program.
The contest is sponsored by the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, the American Lung Association in Alaska and the National Extension Healthy Homes Partnership.
Alaskan youth aged 9 to 14 are encouraged to submit their posters to “help us spread the news about the dangers of radon through their art,” DGGS Geological Health Hazards Program Manager Paul Goodfellow said in a Nov. 6 press release.
Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Surgeon General, is the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States among non-smokers. The radioactive element comes from the ground and can enter buildings through cracks and openings in the foundation. According to the release, radon is present in Alaska.
Poster submissions must be emailed or postmarked to DGGS on or before Dec. 19 for consideration. Winners of the state contest will be announced during National Radon Awareness Month, which starts in January.
Prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place winners in the state contest. The first place winner will receive a $100 Michaels gift card and their poster submitted as Alaska’s entry to the National Radon Poster Contest. The first place student’s classroom will also receive a $100 Michael’s gift card. The second place winner will receive a $75 Michael’s gift card. Third prize will be a $50 Michael’s gift card for the artist.
Luciana Liu, a student at Goldenview Middle School in Anchorage, won first place in the state contest last year. Her poster also won second place in the national contest in 2022.
More information about the contest and entry forms are available at dggs.alaska.gov/outreach/radon-poster.html.
During National Radon Awareness Month, Alaska DGGS will be hosting weekly public outreach sessions in Anchorage to promote home testing in Southcentral Alaska. Alaska residents outside of Anchorage may also contact the Alaska Radon Program to request tests be mailed to their home or workplace.
“Thanks to the Alaska Radon Program, homeowners can request a free test kit to find out if their residence might have high radon levels,” Goodfellow said in the release.
The Alaska Radon Program receives financial support from the Environmental Protection Agency’s State Indoor Radon Grant through the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Air Quality. The grant is implemented through a partnership of DGGS and the UAF Cooperative Extension Service.
For those interested in receiving a free radon testing kit, more information about the Alaska Radon Program is available at dggs.alaska.gov/hazards/radon.html.
