Credible sources of information regarding public health can be found across the internet. We recommend checking out resources from the following organizations:

• The Macon-Bibb County Health Department https://northcentralhealthdistrict.org/macon-bibb-county-health-department/
• The American Public Health Association: https://www.apha.org/What-is-public-health
• The Center for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/training/publichealth101/public-health.html
• The Georgia Department of Public Health https://dph.georgia.gov/

There are some groups of people who often have worse health than the general population, but the contributing factor may not be related to the illness. Rather, these factors are what the public health sector calls a “Social Determinant of Health.”  Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, as well as the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems can include things like economic stability, educational access and quality, health care access, one’s neighborhood, environment, and their social and community context.

For example, in the United States, 1 in 10 people live in poverty and many people can’t afford things like healthy foods, health care, and housing. Did you know that people with higher levels of education are more likely to be healthier and live longer?  Did you know about 1 in 10 people in the United States don’t have health insurance? People without insurance are less likely to have a primary care provider, and they may not be able to afford the health care services and medications they need. Finally, many people face challenges and dangers they can’t control — like unsafe neighborhoods, discrimination, or trouble affording the things they need. This can have a negative impact on health and safety throughout life.

Positive relationships at home, at work, and in the community can help reduce the negative impact.

This Challenge is open to:

• • Middle school students who are enrolled in 6^th-8^th grade at the time of submission and attend a school in the Bibb County School District, Bibb County Charter school, or Bibb County private school.
  • High school students who are enrolled in 9^th-12^th grade at the time of submission and attend a school in the Bibb County School District, Bibb County Charter school, or Bibb County private school.

Eligibility rules

To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, a Participant:

1. Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules provided by the Macon-Bibb County Health Department (MBCHD) as published in this announcement;
2. Shall have followed all the requirements set forth in this announcement;
3. Shall enter the Middle School category if they are currently enrolled in grades 6^th through 8^th at the time of submission;
4. Shall enter the High School category if they are currently enrolled in grades 9^th through 12^th at the time of submission;
5. Shall be enrolled in a Bibb County public, private, or charter school at the time of submission.

Participation Rules

1. All work must be the Participants’ own design and the sole work of the artist.
2. Participants permit that the works are entirely original (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant is aware.
3. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) or any other image generating software is not permitted for this challenge, and submissions that are found to have used such software will be disqualified.
4. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant grants MBCHD the right to reproduce, publish, post, link, share, and display publicly the submission on the internet or elsewhere.
5. Each Participant will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable.
6. Each Participant under 18 years of age at the time of submission MUST have signed permission from a parent or legal guardian to participate in the Challenge. If a Participant under 18 years of age is an emancipated youth, the requirement for parent/legal guardian consent is waived. Emancipated youth (if less than 18 years of age) MUST self-certify their status as an emancipated youth with their submission. If a Participant who is an emancipated youth (under 18 years of age) is selected as a winner, they will need to provide documentation of their status prior to award.
7. Each Participant under 18 years of age (and not an emancipated youth) at the time of submission MUST have a parent or legal guardian to accept a cash prize on their behalf if awarded prize funds.
8. All entries must be deemed appropriate for public display.  We reserve the right to make no selection.

The Macon-Bibb County Health Department will enlist a panel of judges to review all properly submitted entries. Each entry will be scored using the following criteria:

• Originality and creativity(1–10 points): Is the submission an original work of art? Does it use innovative techniques? 
• Quality (1–5 points): Is the artwork well composed/designed (line, balance, color, perspective)? 
• Theme (1–5 points): Does the artwork clearly depict the theme of the Challenge?

• Are public health services portrayed in a meaningful way? 

• Social Determinants of Health (1-5): Does the artwork reflect one or more nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes?
• Impact (1–10): Is the artwork inspiring, compelling, or thought-provoking? 

A panel of judges who are employed or partnered with Macon-Bibb County Health Department will select the final winners. The judging period will begin March 16^th and end on March 31^st. The final winners will be announced during the first week of April.

The Community Winner will be chosen by majority vote on the Macon-Bibb County Facebook page from March 16^th – March 31^st. The community winner will be announced during the first week of April.

Note: Follow all the instructions on your entry form to qualify as a participant.

1. Complete and sign the required entry form (JotForm). You can complete it electronically.
   • Include your contact information.
   • Provide a brief title (fewer than 50 characters) for your artwork.
   • Provide a caption (fewer than 500 characters) and describe how your artwork shows what public health means to you. (Please note that descriptions for winning artwork may be slightly modified before publication to meet accessibility requirements.)
   • Titles and descriptions must be written in English or accompanied by an English translation.
   • Sign and date the entry form.
   • If you are submitting artwork to either category, and you are under the age of 18 years old, your parent or legal guardian MUST sign and date the entry form to confirm that they understand and accept the Challenge rules and regulations.
   • If you are submitting artwork to the High School category and are 18 years or older or an emancipated youth, the requirement for parent/legal guardian consent is waived, but you MUST self-certify your emancipated status on the entry form. If your artwork is selected as a winner, you will need to submit PDF documentation of your emancipated status before the award can be made.
   • If you printed the entry form and completed it by hand instead of completing it electronically, you can either scan or take a picture of the final document.
2. Name your artwork using the file name: “Title of Artwork (a shortened version is acceptable)_FirstInitialLastName.” If the artwork itself includes text in a language other than English, an English translation of the text must be provided as a separate document that is attached to your email submission.
   • Example file name for artwork: Picturing Better Health for All_DNelson

• Example file name for artwork including language other than English (if applicable): Picturing Better Health for All_DNelson_Translation

3. Attach your artwork file to the entry form (JotForm) and submit it by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 15, 2024.

• Only one piece of artwork may be submitted per participant.
• All artwork and required forms must submitted via the entry form by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 15, 2024.
• Artwork can be saved as a PDF, JPEG, or PNG file (minimum 300 pixels per inch and maximum of 10 MB). Use the file name: “Title of Artwork (a shortened version is acceptable)_FirstInitialLastName.”
• Example file name for artwork: Picturing Better Health for All_DNelson
• For submissions from participants who are under 18 years old at the time of submission, your entry form MUST also be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
• For participants who are under 18 years old at the time of submission and an emancipated youth: The requirement for parent/legal guardian consent is waived. Emancipated youth, who are younger than 18 years old at the time of submission, MUST self-certify their emancipated status on the entry form. If a participant who is an emancipated youth (under 18 years of age) is selected as a winner, they will need to provide documentation of their status before the award can be made.

Submissions may be disqualified for:

• Plagiarism: Entries may be screened, using a plagiarism software package, to validate the originality of the work
• Use of artificial intelligence (AI) or other such software for generating artwork
• Falsification of any information submitted
• Use of copyrighted material without permission
• Inclusion of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in your art (information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as your name, social security number, date, place of birth, emails, etc.)

• • Submissions must be original art, developed for this Challenge, and cannot have been submitted elsewhere.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) or any such software image generating is not permitted for creating artwork.
  • Photos, graphics, original drawings, and paintings or other images are allowed. Video or audio recordings are not permitted.
  • Note: Winning entries that include identifiable images of people (e.g., picture shows their face or other distinctive features) will need to provide a photo release (PDF) from the person/people in the photo prior to award.
  • Artwork may be produced using any medium, but the image and text should be clear if the image is printed on an 8 ½″ by 11″ piece of paper.
  • Copyrighted materials are not allowed in any submission unless express written permission from the copyright’s owner is provided at time of Challenge submission. Proof of the right to use copyrighted material must be included with your email submission (this can be included as another attachment to your submission).
  • Artwork must not use Health and Human Services (HHS), Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), or Macon-Bibb County Health Department (MBCHD) logos or official seals and must not claim federal government, state government, or local government endorsement.
  • Titles and descriptions must be submitted in English or accompanied by an English translation.
  • If text in a language other than English is included in the artwork itself, an English translation of the text must be provided as a separate document that is attached to your email submission.
  • The artwork file must use the following naming convention: “Title of Artwork (a shortened version is acceptable)_FirstInitialLastName.”
  • Example name for artwork: Picturing Better Health for All_DNelson
  • Artwork must be submitted as a PDF, JPEG, or PNG and must be at least 300 pixels per inch.
  • Artwork files must be no larger than 10 MB.