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YOUR DESIGN COULD CHAMPION MENTAL HEALTH NATIONWIDE

National Poster Competition

Join our initiative to integrate the importance of mental health into everyday life!

Submit your poster design to bring public voices into this vital conversation and create a meaningful resource.

We’re looking for a new national poster design for

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2024

How to get involved:

Email your submissions to:

barbaralouisebrennan@gmail.com

Post your hard copy submissions to:

Mental Health Poster Competition

PO Box 13751

Freepost FDN7701

Dublin 1

Please include your name, age, address, Eircode & phone number and the category you are entering under when sending in your entry.

Submissions now open!

(Closing Date: 13th August 2024)

Submissions welcomed under the following categories:

Workplaces (if you work, whether you are applying under your workplace or as yourself)

Universities (If you are of university going age, whether you attend or not)

Schools (If you are of school going age, whether you attend or not)

Disability (If you have a disability and would like to apply as an individual or with a group)

Community (If you have a passion to support your community, OR If you don’t identify with any of the above you can apply under this category)

*Individuals or groups can apply (Anybody, of any age, from anywhere in Ireland, of any background).

Why to get involved

Mental health affects us all. It intersects with every aspect of our lives, regardless of where we're from, who we love, what we look like, our age, or whether we work or not. Just like IKEA’s slogan “all life is here,” mental health is a universal part of being human, and we all have the potential to struggle at some point.

This is why we need to take action. We all need to be the change we want to see in the world.

As a suicide survivor, I know firsthand that no one should have to reach a crisis point before they receive the help they need. Becoming an accidental activist, I realised the importance of starting this conversation and getting people from all walks of life to join in.

Raising awareness about the support available is crucial. Mental health is a vital part of our overall well-being, yet it often doesn't receive the attention it deserves. By participating in the National Poster Competition for World Mental Health Day 2024, you can play a vital role in changing that.

Here’s why mental health awareness matters:

Breaking the Stigma: Open conversations about mental health help reduce the stigma and discrimination many people face. Sharing experiences and supporting one another fosters a more inclusive and understanding society.

Promoting Early Intervention: Awareness encourages people to seek help early, leading to better outcomes. Early intervention can prevent mental health issues from becoming more severe and difficult to manage.

Educating People: Raising awareness educates individuals about the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and the importance of seeking help. Knowledge empowers people to take action for themselves and others.

Supporting Each Other: Understanding mental health enables us to better support our friends, family, and colleagues, creating a stronger, more compassionate community.

Join us in this important cause by submitting your poster design. Your artwork can amplify public voices, spark vital conversations, and create a lasting impact.

What will you win

Your design will gain recognition from the Mental Health Commission, Mental Health Reform, Ireland's Mental Health Arts Festival, and numerous mental health charities.

The top 5 winning designs will be celebrated as national resources, available to the Irish public, communities, and workplaces across Ireland for World Mental Health Day. This is your chance to make a significant difference and inspire positive change in mental health awareness nationwide.

Terms and Conditions

Paintings must be created in physical media (no digital "paintings")
Acceptable media would include oil, watercolour, pastel, acrylic, pencil, pen, etc. Note – this explicitly states, “No Photography”. Experimental and mixed techniques are also acceptable, as long as 75% of the work uses some sort of paint, pen or pencil.
Art Calls are open to all Amateur and Professional artists.
Your art must be your own original concept and not a copy of anyone else’s copyrighted material.
You may only submit your own artwork that you, personally created.
The judges have the sole right to refuse submissions based on quality of the image, failure to meet competition requirements, poor quality, inappropriateness of content, and/or concerns regarding copyright infringement in the original work.
The graphic designer for the national Mental Health Matters (Barbara Brennan) poster campaign may colour correct your images in order to enhance the overall presentation.
Mental Health Matters (Barbara Brennan) may crop your images for formatting purposes for use in their slideshow presentations, other off-site slideshows, YouTube presentations, other presentations and for other areas of the website or social media platforms if your images are chosen.
The judge’s decision is final.
The winners’ prizes are given at the discretion of the judges.

Accepted Mediums for Artwork

Media Paintings must be created in physical media (no digital "paintings")
Acceptable media would include oil, watercolour, pastel, acrylic, pencil, pen, etc. Note – this explicitly states, “No Photography”. Experimental and mixed techniques are also acceptable, as long as 75% of the work uses some sort of paint, pen or pencil.
Artwork completed no more than 1 year ago

Our judges and partners for this exciting campaign:

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS