The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) invited adolescents and young people between 10 and 24 years of age in the Americas to participate in the "Youth Voices" creative contest, to seek their opinions on what can be done to improve the quality of health services for young people.
From July 1 through July 31, 2024, more than 100 creative entries were received from 18 countries in the Americas. Adolescents and young people between the ages of 10 and 24 from the United States, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru won the three places in each age group.
WINNERS YOUTH VOICES 2024
The winning works belong to the general categories of drawing, comic, narrative, poem, and video, and AI-assisted illustration. The winning entries were chosen based on criteria such as creativity, requirements of the call for entries, originality, clarity, and content coherence. The jury, composed of a multidisciplinary group of PAHO specialists from different countries, selected nine works as winners, as established in the contest guidelines: three from participants between 10 and 14 years of age, three between 15-19 years of age, and three between 20 and 24 years of age.
The winners will receive cash prizes, and their original works (created especially for the contest) may be published in PAHO communication channels and/or campaigns related to the topic.
Download the full terms and conditions.
CONTEST TERMS
Adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24 from all countries and ethnic groups in the Region of the Americas may participate in individual or group projects using their native language. Read the full terms and conditions for more details.
Step 1: Participants must consider a question from the following, a category of creative expression and whether they will use an AI Tool.
Step 2: Participants must choose one of the following questions:
- Question 1 - How do you envision health services that respond to your needs?
- Question 2 - What are the barriers to access health services for young people in your community, and what can be done to address these barriers?
- Question 3 - What can be done to increase young people’s trust in the health care providers and teams in your experience?
- Question 4 - How can young people get involved in efforts to improve the quality and utilization of health services for this age group (10-24 years)?
Step 3: The selected question must be answered using the following guidelines.
Contestants must choose a category, and a medium within that category:
Categories:
- General Categories: Submissions created without the use of AI tools.
- AI-Assisted Category: Submissions created with the assistance of AI tools. Participants must appropriately credit the AI tool(s) used in their work.
AI-Assisted Submissions
Any use of AI tools must be clearly disclosed at the time of submission.
Participants must credit the AI tool(s) used in their submission.
AI-assisted submissions will be evaluated separately from those in the General Categories.
For the AI-Assisted Category, the integration and innovative use of AI tools will also be considered.
Medium of submissions:
Art proposals
- Painting: acrylics, watercolors, or any other material or technique.
- Drawing: crayons, pencils, markers, or any other materials.
- Digital illustration: contestants may use whatever techniques and programs they prefer.
- Comic: contestants may use whatever techniques they prefer.
Writing proposals
- Poem: maximum of 400 words.
- Story or essay: maximum of 800 words.
Audiovisual proposals
- Video for social networks: maximum duration, 1 minute; creativity and style are the main criteria, using live action, animation, or any other technique. No video may include copyrighted material, resources, or music without the author’s permission.
- Song: maximum length, 4 minutes; unpublished lyrics and music written by the contestant.
Contestants cannot participate in more than one category. They can only submit one creative proposal that complies with the specifications detailed for each option. Group submissions are allowed, but they are only considered one submission and should be sent by one representative of the group.
Go to the Download Zone on this page to download the authorization forms, the contest terms document, and the guidelines.
Contest information and works must be uploaded to the PAHO web form along with their authorization forms. You can also find this form on the Delivery Zone of this page.
Underage participants must upload (2) authorization forms:
- Authorization for reproduction of a photographic image, audio, and/or video of a minor
- Authorization for use and reproduction of material.
Participants of legal age must submit (1) form of the Authorization for reproduction of a photographic image.
Artwork must be submitted in high-resolution JPG files. Written works must be submitted in Microsoft Word files. Alternatively, handwritten works may be submitted as a clearly legible photographic image. Works in the digital category must be submitted in their original format.
Works in indigenous languages must include a Word file with a translation into English or Spanish.
All works must be original, not previously disseminated, and not have previously won a prize.
Wednesday, 31 July 2024 up to 12 noon (Washington, D.C., time)
The winners will be announced in August 2024 via email.
CONTEST GUIDELINES
- Deadline for entries is 12 noon (Washington, D.C., time) on 31 July 2024.
- This contest is open to all participants, including those who have submitted work in previous years, provided they did not win.
- Works that have already received a prize from another contest, or that have been published previously by any other organization, will not be considered.
- Works may be submitted in local and indigenous languages of the countries of the Region of the Americas. These entries must include an English or Spanish translation, in a Word file.
- By submitting their material, contestants accept that this material, regardless of whether it wins, may be used by PAHO for educational and/or promotional purposes. Likewise, they grant PAHO a perpetual license for non-exclusive use, free of charge, for which it will be necessary to complete the corresponding authorization.
- PAHO may include its logo, and credit the author of the material if it is used.
- Any person or persons clearly identifiable in the materials must give their consent for the use of their image, signing the authorization for reproduction of their image.
- When submitting materials, contestants must expressly declare being their original authors. They must also declare that they undertake to hold PAHO/WHO free from any liability that may arise from the infringement of the rights of third parties who have or claim to have rights of any nature over the materials submitted to the contest.
- When submitting materials, contestants who are minors must fill out a form signed by a parent or legal guardian.
- The jury will announce the winners and inform them by email. The list of winners will also be published on the PAHO website.
- The winners will be announced in August 2024. Prizes will be awarded through PAHO’s Country Offices in the Region of the Americas.
- The words and images contained in the materials must be respectful of cultures and persons and may not include language that is offensive or that is or could be interpreted as discriminatory and stigmatizing. Likewise, language must not be used that violates public order, morals, or good manners.
- The submission of materials implies the express granting of authorization to the organizers to use these materials, in any public activity or dissemination related to the contest, without resulting in any obligation with regard to compensation, payment, or remuneration of any kind.
- Prizes awarded to minors will be given to their parents or guardians. It is recommended that the prize money be used to cover the winners’ educational expenses.
- Winners who are minors must indicate, together with their parents or guardians, whether their works are to be published under the minors’ legal names or under pseudonyms.
- PAHO staff or consultants hired by PAHO in any country in the Region of the Americas may not enter the contest, nor may their immediate family members.
- For any further information or if you have any questions about the contest rules, please write to the following email: adolescent_health@paho.org
For judging, entries will be distributed into three age groups:
- Contestants from 10 to 14 years old
- Contestants from 15 to 19 years old
- Contestants from 20 to 24 years old
The winner will have the highest score, judged as follows:
- 40% creativity
- 40% originality, clarity, and coherence of content
- 20% adherence to the approach chosen and requirements of the contest.
The jury will be comprised of adolescents and of professionals in the areas of communications, adolescent health, and graphic design and the topic of this year’s contest.
The winners will be announced in August 2024.
PRIZES
:: FIRST PLACE
- Winner of the 10-14 group: US$ 250
- Winner of the 15-19 group: US$ 250
- Winner of the 20-24 group: US$ 250
:: SECOND PLACE
- Winner of the 10-14 group: US$ 150
- Winner of the 15-19 group: US$ 150
- Winner of the 20-24 group: US$ 150
:: THIRD PLACE
- Winner of the 10-14 group: US$ 100
- Winner of the 15-19 group: US$ 100
- Winner of the 20-24 group: US$ 100
Participants must upload their creative work to this form, along with authorization documents for use and reproduction of material to download in Download Zone.
