How to Enter

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For Competition 2016-17

The companies which are responsible for running the gas networks across Great Britain have launched their annual school safety competition to raise awareness of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

First launched in 2007, the competition was founded and run for many years by charity CO-Gas Safety www.co-gassafety.co.uk in partnership with the GDNs, but this year the GDNs have taken over the running of the competition.

The Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) National Grid Distribution, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities are looking for entries from students in any form of media, such as eye-catching cartoons, videos, models, short stories or poems that are informative and accurate in warning of the dangers of CO poisoning.

The competition will run on a regional level by each GDN and is open to students in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 (ages 5 – 11) across Great Britain. Winners from each region will be invited to a special award ceremony to be held at the Palace of Westminster in London, where the national winner will be announced. All winners will receive a prize for themselves and for their school.

Key Information:

All competition entries are to be submitted to COschoolcompetition@energynetworks.org

For competition Terms & Conditions: http://www.energynetworks.org/assets/files/news/releases-and-news/Terms_Conditions_GDN_CO_SchoolSafetyCompetition2017.pdf

Key Dates:

Competition launches: Wednesday 11 January 2017

Closing date for entries: Friday 5 May 2017

Local judging: Monday 15 May – Monday 29 May 2017

National judging: Monday 29 May – Monday 12 June 2017

Prize Giving Event in the Palace of Westminster, London: (Date TBC) June 2017

For queries, please email: COschoolcompetition@energynetworks.org

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Competition 2015-16

The competition will be held again this year. Posters from children aged 10-11 will be extremely welcome but we have expanded the competition to cover the lower ages and we have also allowed other ways to enter e.g. films, models etc. There are two ages groups Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 with winners in each area from both age groups. Any feedback from anyone would be extremely welcome. Do email me Stephanie Trotter office@co-gassafety.co.uk or arrange a chat by sending me your telephone number and I’ll call you. The closing date is 31st May 2016. ‘It is a pleasure to be involved in spreading such a vitally important message about CO dangers.’ Gethin Jones, Llantrisant Welsh Community School Resources for the 2015/16 Competition:

  • Flyer – Brief details of 2015/16 CO-Gas Safety’s CO Awareness Competition Download (PDF)
  • PowerPoint Presentation version of the CO-Gas Safety Booklet This will make it easy for anyone to give a talk. Some of the slides have notes added to assist you. Download (PowerPoint) NB. You’ll need PowerPoint to view this file, available to download free from here.
  • Tips for Designing your entry – VITAL to read this. Before you download our tips you might like to think of where people might be when they could be exposed to CO and die or be injured. This could be at home, at work (e.g. from a petrol powered fork lift truck used indoors), in a shop (use of a petrol generator indoors), in a garage from a vehicle powered by petrol or diesel or in a tent from a camping stove or gaz light or from using a barbecue indoors or in at tent. CO can also be emitted from a stove, gaz light or cooker in a boat. We’ve even heard of someone dying in Canada while swimming towards a boat which was emitting CO from it’s engine and the CO had filled the space under the platform used for getting on and off the boat. This might inspire you to create an original poster, model, film, poem, story, song or whatever you think might raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. We are looking for ORIGINAL ideas with IMPACT. You might like to look at the posters which have won so far (see previous winners) and make sure yours has the same impact but has a different idea behind it. Download (<0.1MB, Word)
  • Rules Download (PDF)
  • Material about staying safe and warm from Wales & West Utilities see http://wwutilities.co.uk/services/safe-warm/carbon-monoxide/
  • Quote from Ed Balls MP, then Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families after the prize giving event at the House of Commons for the 2007-08 competition. Also quote for the 2008/09 prize giving. Download (Word)
  • Flyer – ‘Celebrating Eddie’ Download (PDF)

Paul OvertonPlease click on the picture opposite to see a film of a talk to a primary school about carbon monoxide and the charity schools poster competition. Paul Overton, director of CO-Gas Safety and stepfather of Katie Overton gave a talk to Craneswater Junior School in November 2008. Katie died of CO aged 11 in 2003 while she was attending this school. Illustrated materials about carbon monoxide written especially for the competitions as well as the competition rules are available by following the link above. It is recommended that all students and teachers print out the material available as well as the rules and read them thoroughly before entering. See also the helpful tips for designing your poster drafted by the artist John O’Leary. The Carbon Monoxide Gas Safety charity encourages students and teachers to take the materials about carbon monoxide home to their families. Please can teachers make sure to photograph or scan entries and send them, ideally in JPEG formula, by email to COschoolcompetition@energynetworks.org