• Create an email eCard reflecting the theme “Plastics in our oceans and waterways” and be one of the two finalists from your school that goes into the national competition.
• Entries can be created digitally or on paper and scanned. Entries need to be submitted as jpg images less than 200 kB in size with dimensions 600 pixels wide and 400 pixels high (21 x 14 cm)
• If your card is selected by your teacher as one of the two finalists from your school it will be on display in the eCard Gallery after uploading and approval.
• School finalists encourage/ aim to have as many people select their card and “send” it to others.
• The eCard Gallery counter will record how many times each card has been viewed. The eCard with the most views is the winner.
• Your eCard should present a clear, simple and powerful message so don’t make it too busy. Include up to 20 words as part of your environmental message about plastics in the ocean and waterways.

Teachers

• It’s really easy. Ask your students to create an eCard around the theme “Plastics in our oceans and waterways”. The maximum size for an eCard image should be no more than 200kB.
• Students can create their own powerful message, using images, symbols and text to spread the word about this global problem
• Entries need to be submitted as jpg images less than 200 kB in size with dimensions 600 pixels wide and 400 pixels high (21 x 14 cm)
• Select the two best entries from your school.
• Go to www.mesa.edu.au/ecards to upload your eCards along with some information about the entry.

Rules

• Entries are open to every school in Australia. There are two categories for entries: Category 1: Years 4-6 and Category 2: Years 7-9
• A maximum of two entries selected by a school can be posted to the MESA eCard Gallery website www.mesa.edu.au/ecards/upload.asp.
• School finalists need to encourage others to go online and send invitations to view a personalised eCard if they want to record the highest number of eCard views and be a winner.
• Only the first 100 school entries will be accepted.
• Entries can be submitted to the website from January 01, 2006 to April 30, 2006.
• Viewing of eCards will end at 9.00 pm on April 30, 2006. The winners will be the eCard from each category with the most views at this time. A card view is defined as when an email invitation to view a personalised card is accepted and the personalised card is viewed online as a result of the invitation.

Prizes

A prize, for the most viewed eCard, for each group will be given to both the winner and the teacher involved in the competition.

For each category:
1st Prize Winning Student: RIC Book voucher to the value of $50 (prize to be selected from the QED catalogue) plus $150 cash.

1st Prize Winning Teacher: RIC Class set of educational books to the value of $500 (redeemable for any items in the new 2006 RIC Catalogue) as the School prize to acknowledge the contributions of teachers and other students.

The top ten most viewed eCards from each category will be acknowledged on the website.

Note: The Competition Organisers reserve the right to exclude any entries submitted which they consider unsuitable.