Virginia student selected as national winner in the 2022 Kids Safe Online poster contest

RICHMOND – The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) announced that a Virginia student has been named a national winner in the 2022 Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s (MS-ISAC) annual Kids Safe Online Poster Contest.

The national winner from Virginia is Leila, a third-grader from Ashland Elementary in Manassas.

The goal of the annual contest is to engage young people in creating posters to encourage their peers to use the internet safely and securely. The competition also offers an opportunity for teachers in classrooms across Virginia to address and reinforce cybersecurity and online safety issues. All students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 are eligible to participate.

In all, 35 finalists emerged this year from public, private, and home schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Themes reflected in this year’s submissions include creating strong passwords, protecting personal information, backing up critical data, and avoiding cyberbullying.

“We’re so proud of our Kids Safe Online national poster contest winner – Leila, and all of our 35 Virginia finalists as well,” said Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth Robert Osmond. “We’re pleased to recognize our students for sharing the critically important message of staying safe while online.”

“These students are learning core aspects of safe, secure use of our increasingly-technological world, and we are pleased to support and encourage their efforts,” said Chief Information Security Officer for the Commonwealth Michael Watson.

“Virginia students and teachers are back in their classrooms but online safety remains a priority in the Commonwealth’s public schools,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. “I congratulate Leila and all of the students who participated for helping raise awareness about the importance of keeping children safe online.”

To see a complete list of the Virginia winners in the 2022 Kids Safe Online poster contest, visit the VITA website.