Caribbean Youth Voices: 2025 Contest

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) invites adolescents and young people between 10 and 24 years of age in the Caribbean to participate in the "Caribbean Youth Voices" creative contest, to seek their opinions on adolescent pregnancy.

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

:: WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

Adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24 from all countries and ethnic groups in the Caribbean may participate in individual or group projects using their native language. Read the full terms and conditions for more details.

:: HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST?

Step 1: Participants must consider a question from the following and a category of creative expression:

Step 2: Participants must choose one of the following questions:

Question 1 - What do you think is the impact of adolescent pregnancy?
Question 2 - What can governments do to change the problem of adolescent pregnancy?
Question 3 - What can young people do?

Step 3: The selected question must be answered using the following guidelines.

Contestants must choose a category, and a medium within that category:

Categories:

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Song: maximum length, 4 minutes; unpublished lyrics and music written by the contestant.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.

:: HOW TO SEND THE ARTWORK?

Go to the Download Zone on this page to download the authorization forms and the contest terms and conditions document.

Contest information and works must be uploaded to the provided Web form along with their authorization forms. You can find this form on the Delivery Zone of this page.

Underage participants must upload (2) authorization forms:

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.

:: DEADLINE FOR PARTICIPATION

Day, 3 October 2025 up to 12 noon (Washington, D.C., time)

The winners will be announced in October 2025 via email from the sender adolescent_health@paho.org.

CONTEST GUIDELINES

:: PARTICIPATION TERMS

Deadline for entries is 12 noon (Washington, D.C., time) on 3 October 2025.
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.
PAHO will review submissions with available tools to detect possible AI generation, based upon which submissions may be disqualified.
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 the 2 forms signed by a parent or legal guardian (see above).
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 October 2024. Prizes will be awarded through PAHO’s Country Offices in the Caribbean.
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.
Winners will be invited to participate in a virtual event during the week of 20-26 October.
For any further information or if you have any questions about the contest rules, please write to the following email: adolescent_health@paho.org

:: SELECTION CRITERIA AND JURY

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 (see terms below).

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.

Winners will receive a cash prize, and their works will be published in PAHO communication channels and/or Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention campaigns. The winners will be announced in October 2025 and will be invited to participate in a virtual event during the week of 20-26 October 2025.