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Army holds suicide-prevention poster contest

The Army is inviting its young enlisted soldiers to design a poster about preventing suicide.

The contest is part of a broader effort by the Army to lower an alarming suicide rate among soldiers from age 21 to 30.

Last year, 99 soldiers committed suicide, and two more deaths under investigation could raise the number to 101, according to the Army Suicide Event Report released Aug. 16. That is the highest number in 26 years.

About a third of those soldiers took their own lives in Iraq or Afghanistan. Most killed themselves with a firearm.

Of the suicide victims in 2006, 10 were women. In 2005, four women killed themselves, the Army said.

Now the Army is inviting all soldiers in the ranks of E-1 to E-4 to enter the suicide-prevention poster contest.

The contest is sponsored by the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, and the contest rules are on the CHPPM Web site at http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/dhpw/Readiness/suicide.aspx.

The original artwork may be done individually or in teams of no more than five members.

The winning poster will be distributed throughout the Army and will be published along with other Army suicide prevention posters, on the Army’s Web site.

According to the rules, the posters must be original and may not use any copyrighted material.

The rules suggest that posters be creative, attractive and include a “dynamic message” that would speak to young soldiers.

The poster designs could be a general message of suicide awareness or present a specific issue that may be related to suicide, such as the ideas of getting help, or overcoming the fear of being stigmatized or admitting depression.

The poster may also focus on the need for soldiers to be a buddy and take the initiative to help another soldier in trouble.

Winners may be asked for additional materials including a high-resolution JPG image of the poster. Winners who create computer-generated posters will be asked to provide the Army with all poster files because all submissions become the property of CHPPM, which reserves the right to alter designs.

Artists or teams may not submit multiple posters.

Submissions are due Sept. 30, and the winner or winners will receive a coin from the sergeant major of the Army, presented at their unit by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston.