UK children's posters Shine a Light on neglected tropical diseases

The posters in each age category for our World NTD Day poster competition have been judged by our panel and the ‘People’s Choice’ votes have been counted.

Graphic with two droplets, a pen and the words Poster competition for children 8-16.

Shortlisted entries

8 - 10 years

A Mittal, age 10. Controlling NTDs saves countries I painted this art as I believe that all people should stay happy, clean, and healthy in their communities and countries . I also believe that this will help raise awareness of the countries suffering from NTDs. I want people to feel like they should be the next warriors to fight the Neglected Tropical Diseases and to support the countries that require aid against NTDs. On my poster, it shows people from all over the world coming together forward and focusing on preventing NTDs.

I Grover, age 9. Stand Together To Beat NTD’s I’ve made this poster to spread awareness about NTD‘s. It is not fair that so many people suffer from neglected diseases that can be prevented and are treatable. Every person in the world deserves to have a good quality of life, no matter where they were born or how much money they have. I want people with NTD‘s to know that somebody cares. Change can come if we all stand together.

D Alam, age 10 (poster cover). OPEN DOOR FOR SOLUTION OF NTDS - First I have learnt so much by creating this poster, I researched all information about NTDs. My idea was to make a poster with door on it ( where I introduced the diseases on windows) their bad effect on people life. But on the other hand I wanted the door to be open to show people that there are solutions for the those diseases nowadays. So , I pointed out inside the solutions which people make and how to help. That why it is important to try to help and learn about it. Poster took me about 3 (hard ) days of my patience😄 but I would like to inspire with it. Never give up. Thank you

D Alam, age 10 (poster inside). OPEN DOOR FOR SOLUTION OF NTDS - First I have learnt so much by creating this poster, I researched all information about NTDs. My idea was to make a poster with door on it ( where I introduced the diseases on windows) their bad effect on people life. But on the other hand I wanted the door to be open to show people that there are solutions for the those diseases nowadays. So , I pointed out inside the solutions which people make and how to help. That why it is important to try to help and learn about it. Poster took me about 3 (hard ) days of my patience😄 but I would like to inspire with it. Never give up. Thank you.

A Asir, age 8. Imagine tiny bugs called sand flies that like to buzz around in warm places. Sometimes, these sand flies carry little travelers called parasites. If a sand fly bites you and leaves one of these tiny travelers behind, you might get a bit sick with a kind of tropical disease. Clean water, washing your hands, and eating healthy foods can help you stay healthy.

G Zhou, age 10. There are two parts in my picture, the left one are for words and the right parts are for painting. In the right part, there is a mountain and a field. At the right of the mountain, NTDs are attacking human. The grass is wilted and rain are coming down. That is causes and consequences of viruses. At another side, people started to use medicines. The sun came out and there is a rainbow on the sky. The fresh air fills the whole space. That makes viruses disappear. I wish people can start pay attention on that after they looked at my poster and take necessary at the same time. I believe that we could fight the virus.

11 - 13 years

E Kaczorek, age 13. Title: Break The Chains "The artwork has a deep meaning behind it. The chains reflect the child's sickness and are broken by the hands that offer care for the child. As professional help is often used to heal one's disease, the youngster is liberated from the chains (diseases) that have bound them for a large portion of their lives. Finally, assistance has arrived, providing the youngster with medication, food, and the treatment they need. By talking about NTDs, we may raise awareness about these diseases and possibly find people who might help towards curing them."

M Maccaulay, age 11. Be bright, start the fight! I was trying to raise awareness of these diseases that affect around 2 billion people worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas where there are already high levels of poverty and weak health systems. I used bright colours to draw attention to the subject and although I am aware there are around 20 Neglected Tropical Diseases, I decided to focus on the main 8 in my poster. I hope my poster helps to highlight this important subject so that more can be done to enable research into funding treatment for children who are greatly affected by these illnesses.

14 - 16 years

A Malin, age 14. Larger than life I used acrylic paint and coloured pencil to communicate the intense danger of these diseases in bold, vibrant colours. I included three of the parasites and insects that transmit some of the diseases- the onchocerca volvulus, the 'kissing bug' and the aedes aegypti, all massively larger than their true sizes in comparison to the humans to emphasise the massive danger they pose, and how vulnerable people are to their sometimes lethal effects. I used a sunrise in the background to add a hopeful theme to the image.

Z. Ogarrow, age 15. The NTD criminals When I was thinking about what I was going to make, I was determined to do it in a cartoon-illustrated style so it could stand out no matter where it was. I also wrote some facts so that even if they don't research about the topic, they'll still know some key information about NTDs! I also added the acronym because before this competition I had no idea what NTDs were and now that I know, I want to spread awareness!

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All entries

Highly commended - all age categories

A Forneaux, age 10.

A Lachimovschi, age 11.

F Ali, age 12.

G Zhang, age 11.

L Dhoosche, age 10.

L Downs, age 11.

S Ramkumar, age 11.

A Lenkala, age 8.

A Veigas, age 10.

C Gladstone, age 10.

G Spinisetti, age 10.

J Kadiu, age 11.

K Thompson, age 12.

M Mints, age 13.

O Weise, age 10.

P Annis, age 11.

R Guennec, age 13.

Z Bizley, age 9.

Adaline H E, age 8.

A Ng, age 11.

Y Russell, age 10.

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Our judging panel

We’re so grateful to our judges who have selected 3 winners to attend an event in Parliament, one for each age category.

Dr Anouk Gouvras – Director of Communications and Programmes at the Global Schistosomiasis Alliance

Bonnie Webster – Principal Researcher at the Natural History Museum

LUAP – British multidisciplinary artist: LUAP (@luap) • Instagram photos and videos

The prize

There will be winners for each category (8-10), (11-13), (14-16) years, chosen by a panel of artists and NTD experts. Winners will receive art supplies and the opportunity to attend an event seeking to raise awareness of NTDs in Parliament.  

Winners will be notified the week prior to World NTD Day on 30 January to ensure that they can attend the event in Parliament. 

The competition terms and conditions are here. 