Four years ago, the Houston Bar Association announced a new competition for its annual Law Day celebra-tion – a poster contest designed especially for Houston-area students in secondary Special Needs (grades 6-12). The contest is a team competition. Contest entries may be submitted through Special Needs classes, participating organi-zations, or privately organized teams.

Special Needs Team Event General Rules

Participation Student teams are to be comprised of Special Needs and, if desired, regular education student coaches, who com-bine their efforts to produce a single poster entry. The maximum number of team members is 5. The coach-student ratio may not exceed 1:1, as indicated below.

Total Members Special Needs Students Maximum Number of Student Coaches 5 3-5 2 4 2-4 2 3 1-3 1 2 1-2 1

Student coaches are encouraged, but not required. Though the rules limit what tasks student coaches may per-form, there are no limits on what tasks Special Needs student team members may perform.

The role of the student coaches is to assist team members in the following ways:• developing a concept or slogan;• planning the project;• gathering necessary supplies and materials;• attaching a team photo (optional);• offering support, guidance, encouragement, feedback, and assistance in the execution of the project.

Annual Law Day Special Needs

Team Poster Contest

Deadline for contest entries: Friday, March 6, 2015, 5 p.m.

The Houston Bar Association

The role of the Special Needs student members is to work with student coaches (if any) in developing, plan-ning, and creating a poster that conveys the theme “Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law.”

• The actual physical work necessary to create the poster (drawing, coloring, painting, lettering, pasting, cutting, etc.) should be performed entirely by the Special Needs student team members. • Student coaches may demonstrate tasks, participate in practice sessions, prepare “mock-ups” for demonstration, and offer guidance and feedback during the actual creation of the poster, but the actual entry must be prepared entirely by the Special Needs student members. • All members of the team must participate by playing some role in the creation of the poster entry. • In preparing entries, teams may use materials and media of their choice. However, teams are asked to use only standard size poster board (22 x 28 inches) and avoid any use of syndicated, copyrighted or clip art images. No three dimensional art will be accepted.• Use of bright colors and simple images is encouraged.

Theme• The poster contest theme is “Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law.” Teams are encouraged to include the printed theme on the poster entry.• The poster entry must be an original concept and the combined work of the team members.• The poster should utilize a positive approach in conveying the theme of encouraging all citizens to respect and obey our laws.

JudgingThe posters will be judged on the following criteria:• Quality of Design • Creativity and Originality of the Artwork and Slogan (if any)• Adherence to Theme

All Entries Must Include:1. Fully completed entry form pasted to the back of each poster. Any posters received without a completed form will not be accepted or considered for the contest.2. The signed and dated Parental Release Form, also pasted to the back of the poster.

All students participating in the Special Needs team poster contest will receive participation certificates. Mem-bers of the first, second, and third place winning teams will receive Law Day medals.

Deadline for EntriesThe deadline for entries is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2015. Poster entries must be delivered or mailed to the Hous-ton Bar Association, 1111 Bagby, FLB 200, Houston, Texas 77002. For further information, please contact Bonnie Simmons at bonnies@hba.org or 713-759-1133.

Please see attached Parental Release and entry Form.

Special Needs entryParental Release Form - Team Poster ContestA Parental Release Form must be completed for each special needs student and each regular education student on a team.

I hereby consent to the Houston Bar Association’s use of my child’s name to be included with my child’s poster entry in the Houston Bar Association’s Law Day Special Needs Team Poster Contest. I also consent to the identification of my child as an eligible child to participate in the Team Poster Contest. I understand and agree that my child’s name and identification as a par-ticipant in the Team Poster Contest will be published with his/her contest entry in the event my child is selected as an award winner. I further understand and agree that my child’s entry into the contest is not, in any way, associated with the school or the school district in which my child attends, but instead is a contest sponsored solely by the Houston Bar Association.

Student’s Name_____________________________________________________________

Parent’s Name ______________________________________________________________

Parent’s Signature ___________________________________________________________

Date ____________________

Glue to back of poster. No paperclips.