With the theme of "Bringing Our Missing Children Home," OJJDP invites fifth graders each year to participate in the National Missing Children's Day poster contest. The winning poster is the inspiration for the National Missing Children's Day poster and artwork for the following year.
Entries for the 39th annual National Missing Children's Day poster contest are no longer being accepted.
The contest creates an opportunity for schools, law enforcement, and child advocates to discuss the issue of missing and exploited children with youth and their families and to promote child safety.
Each state hosts its own poster competition and submits the winning entry to OJJDP for the national contest. The winning poster artwork inspires the National Missing Children's Day logo design for the following year's event.
Contest Submission Information
OJJDP's Missing and Exploited Children's Training and Technical Assistance Program and the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College collaborate with OJJDP to coordinate the poster contest each year. Go to the poster contest packet.
Contest rules, contact information for state contest managers, discussion materials, and additional information are available each fall. Prospective participants should check with their state contest managers for the state submission deadlines.
2022 Winning Poster
The 2022 National Missing Children's Day poster contest winner is Sue L. in Los Angeles. CA.
“Miss Lee's creative and colorful image evokes the spirit of unity and compassion that underlies Missing Children's Day,” said Amy L. Solomon, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs. "Her poster sends a power message of inclusion, reminds us of the dignity and humanity of all people and reflects the broad concern of all Americans for the safety and well-being of our children."
Sue's poster represents the theme "Bringing Our Missing Children Home," through an image of two hands, on white and one Black, holding a bright pink heart next to a missing child poster of an Asian child standing in front of their home.