PosterGrades 3–5
Bria Boehmer
New York
Grade 3 — Latham, New York. Hosted by Watervliet-Colonie Lodge #1500.
National student contests
Contests
Enter the annual Elks DAP student contests and celebrate national poster, essay, and video winners by year.
Meet the winnersPoster · Essay · Video
Current national contest
2026–2027 contest year
This year’s theme
A healthy me, is drug free
Each year the Elks Drug Awareness Program invites students across the country to share their creativity and voice in our poster, essay, and video contests — encouraging young people to think about the impact of drugs and make healthy, informed choices.
Contest categories
Poster contest — grades 3–5
Participants design a poster that reflects the annual theme in an original and creative way.
Essay contest — grades 6–8
Students write an essay exploring the contest theme and sharing their perspective on drug awareness and prevention.
Video contest — grades 6–12
Participants create short videos (30 to 60 seconds) that communicate the theme in an engaging, educational, and age-appropriate way. Entries are judged in two divisions:
- Pre-high school division — grades 6–8
- High school division — grades 9–12
How to enter
- Review the contest rules and entry forms for your state Elks association.
- Complete the required entry form for your contest category.
- Submit your entry to your local Elks Lodge before your state’s deadline.
- Local winners advance to state contests, and state winners are submitted to the national level for judging.
For details on deadlines and where to send entries, contact your state Drug Awareness Chairperson.
Creativity with a purpose
National winners
Students across the country turn each annual theme into art, writing, and video that help their peers make healthy choices.
EssayGrades 6–8
Addison Karns
Pennsylvania
Grade 7 — Saegertown, Pennsylvania. Hosted by Meadville Lodge #219.
VideoPre-high / middle school
Bailey Warner, Katelyn Warner, Nitya Raman, Addie Light, Norah Raleigh, and Connie Wong
Oregon
VideoHigh school
Celina Vail, Stella Marricco, and Livia Fyffe
New York
PosterGrades 3–5
Maci Carter
North Carolina
Maci’s artwork illustrates the importance of protecting your future by staying drug-free.
EssayGrades 6–8
Aliyah Morgridge
South Carolina
Aliyah’s essay shares an inspiring message about choosing a healthy path and supporting others to do the same.
VideoPre-high / middle school
Connor Dunn
California
“Throw Away Drugs — Not Your Future”
Connor’s video reminds viewers that every decision shapes what lies ahead.
About the entry: A student-created prevention video about how present choices shape the future.
VideoHigh school
Thomas Brannon, Elan Cooper, Rowan Covert, Will Fiscaletti, Owen Hopf, Boston MacDonald, Maverick Napolitano, and Gabe Valles
New York
The group brought the prevention message to life through a video-game-inspired concept about powering up your future with smart choices.
About the entry: A student-created, video-game-inspired prevention message about making smart choices.