(St. John’s Antigua; July 11, 2025), The Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment is encouraging children across Antigua and Barbuda to participate in the FCCA Foundation 2025 Children’s Essay and Environmental Poster Competitions. Organized by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Foundation, both competitions aim to inspire creativity, promote cultural awareness, and strengthen environmental responsibility among the nation’s youth.

The essay competition invites children to respond to the prompt, “If I were a cruise passenger, what would I like to see or do in my country?” Essays must be no more than 500 words and written in English. Entries will be judged on content, creativity, style, and grammar. A completed entry form must be submitted along with each essay.

The poster competition challenges participants to explore the theme, “How to Protect the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities.” Posters must illustrate at least three ways the country can contribute to marine conservation and should be accompanied by a summary description in English, including the title. Posters should be submitted on standard-size 22”x28” bristol board and may be in colour, black and white, or collage using any medium such as paint, pencil, watercolour, or ink. Entries will be evaluated on creativity, relevance to the theme, quality of presentation, and content. An entry form must also accompany all poster submissions.

Both competitions are open to two age divisions: the Junior Division is for children aged 12 and under who do not turn 13 before September 26, 2025, and the Senior Division is for children aged 13 to 16 who do not turn 17 before September 26, 2025.

Attractive prizes are up for grabs in both categories. First-place winners will receive a laptop, and their school will be awarded USD $3,000. Second-place winners will receive a touchscreen device and USD $1,500 will be awarded to their school, while third-place winners will receive a smartphone, and their school will receive USD $1,000.

The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025. Entries should be submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment. For further details, and for application forms, interested persons may contact Ms. Tracey Browne at 468-4040 or Ms. Shakila Francis at 468-4060.