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We're Looking for 52 Talented Kids...To Win $1,000 In U.S. Savings Bonds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 12, 1998

Today the U.S. Treasury's Bureau of the Public Debt announced the Eighth Annual U.S. Savings Bonds Poster Contest where students in grades 4 through 6 can enter their creative posters to win valuable savings bonds prizes. Winners will be selected from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and for the first time from Puerto Rico. The 52 first place winners will each win $1,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds and will automatically be entered into the national competition. The three national winners will be flown to Washington, D.C. and win thousands more in U.S. Savings Bonds.

Poster Theme:

  • The posters should show how savings bonds can help goals and dreams come true. Also the campaign's theme should be on the poster: “U.S. Savings Bonds--Creating a New Century of Savings.”

Awards:

  • A $1,000 savings bond is given to the first place winning poster in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Second place winners receive a $500 savings bond and third place a $200 bond.
  • The first, second, and third place national winners receive, respectively, $5,000, $2,000, and $1,000 savings bonds at the national ceremony in Washington, D.C.
  • Accommodations and transportation to and from Washington, D.C., are provided for the three national winners and a parent or guardian. While in Washington, winners are invited to tour the historic Treasury Building and meet the Treasurer of the United States, visit the U.S. Capitol, and go see the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where currency is made.

Deadline:

  • All entries for the state contest must be postmarked by February 5, 1999. The 52 first place winners from each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are automatically entered into the national competition. Contest brochures were mailed to over 75,000 elementary schools natonwide in November.

For More Information:

  • Visit our web site: www.savingsbonds.gov.
  • Write to: National Student Poster Contest, Bureau of the Public Debt, Savings Bonds Marketing Office, Room 309, 999 E St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20226.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: NATIONAL STUDENT POSTER CONTEST

Judging:

  • Posters are judged on originality, poster design, visual appeal, and how well they convey the savings bond theme.
  • State and national entries are judged by panels which include representatives from state art councils, the news media, sponsoring organizations, and members of the U.S. Savings Bonds Volunteer Committee.

Where Winning Posters Are Displayed:

  • The first place national winner's poster will be used for the 2000 U.S. Savings Bonds Campaign and, therefore, seen all over the country.
  • The 52 first place winning posters are on exhibit in Washington, D.C., for several months.
  • Photographs of the winning posters with the artist and school's name are displayed in major airports across the United States.
  • Images of the posters are shown on the Bureau of the Public Debt's savings bonds web site: www.savingsbonds.gov.

Savings Bonds Facts For Kids:

  • 55 million Americans own U.S. savings bonds.
  • U.S. savings bonds are the single most widely-held security in the world.
  • In 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt bought the first Series E savings bond launching the most successful savings campaign in American history.
  • Interest earned on savings bonds is exempt from state and local income tax.
  • Series EE bonds and the new inflation-indexed I Bonds are available in $50, $75, $100, $200, $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 denominations. Series EE bonds sell for half their face value, and I Bonds sell for face value.
  • Both Series EE and I Bonds can be purchased at most financial institutions, payroll savings plans through many companies, and the new EasySaver Plan.
  • Posters have helped to promote the sale of savings bonds for over 50 years.

Endorsed by:

  • The American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and National School Public Relations Association.
  • Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is the national sponsor of the 1999 contest.