MONTPELIER, Vt.—A statewide poster contest challenges Vermont students to illustrate how to create a plan for their money. The theme for the 2015 Be Money Wi$e Financial Literacy Poster Competition is: “To build a money plan, I will …” The contest is open to third through twelfth grade students. Grade division winners each win a $100 cash prize.
“This year’s poster theme will enable parents and teachers to introduce the concept of budgeting,” said State Treasurer Beth Pearce. “The contest provides an opportunity to begin a dialogue with our children about money and share our experience with them. Even young children can begin to learn how to save by setting money aside for a future purchase. Teenagers who have a regular income from a job can put in place a basic budget to cover expenses like clothes, gas for the car, cell phone and saving for the future.”
For the last eight years, the State Treasurer’s Office and the Vermont Bankers Association have sponsored the annual competition. The purpose of the contest is to give teachers and parents a tool to engage children in discussions on money management. The 2015 theme encourages students to set goals for their money; to check the price of items and compare that to the money they have; and to learn to track how they are spending and saving their money.
“I appreciate the ongoing support for this program from Vermont’s banking community. It is a partnership that allows us to promote financial literacy and encourage greater involvement by adults in the financial education of Vermont’s children,” said Pearce.
The contest features three grade categories: elementary, 3rd-5th grades; middle school, 6th-9th grades; and high school, 10th-12th grades. Top-placing students and their teachers will be recognized at a State House ceremony on April 9. In addition to cash prizes for the first place division winners, the students’ schools also will receive a $100 cash award in recognition of their support of financial literacy. The prizes are donated by the Vermont Bankers Association. The deadline for poster submissions to the Treasurer’s office is March 11, 2015.
Posters must be on white paper stock and between 8 ½” by 11” or 11” by 17” inches in size. Vermont entries may be sent to the Treasurer’s office, Attention Poster Competition, 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05609. Complete contest details are available on the Treasurer’s office web site, financial literacy main page. Go to www.MoneyEd.Vermont.gov to view the contest rules.
Questions about the competition may be directed to the State Treasurer’s Office at 1-800-642-3191 or via e-mail at Treasurers.Office@state.vt.us.
