April 1, 2022
Twelve Posters Selected from over 600 Student Entries Across New York State Schools; Competition Promotes Cyber Safety and Awareness
Friday, April 1, 2022
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) today announced the 12 winners of the New York State "Kids Safe Online" Poster Contest. The winners were selected from more than 600 participants, from schools across New York State. Winning posters may be accessed at: https://its.ny.gov/2021-2022-kids-safe-online-poster-contest.
The goal of the contest, held annually since 2005, is to engage young people in thinking about cyber security through the creation of posters that will encourage their peers to use the internet safely and securely. The contest also serves as an opportunity for teachers across New York State to address and reinforce cyber security and online safety issues in the classroom. Students have a chance to illustrate their concerns about cyber bullying, sharing too much personal information and the appropriate use of social media platforms with their peers and teachers in a positive way.
The contest, hosted in conjunction with the Center for Internet Security's (CIS) Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (MS-ISAC) national poster contest, was open to New York State students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
"ITS is pleased to collaborate with MS-ISAC on this important educational campaign and we commend every student and teacher who participated and submitted entries. Congratulations to the winners whose artwork will continue to educate students and adults about cyber security," New York State ITS Chief Information Officer Angelo 'Tony' Riddick said.
"Students understand how integral the digital world is to modern day life and are able to provide creative depictions of how to stay safe. I am always impressed by how the students can take complex topics and simplify them to educate their peers in a fun and exciting way," said New York State ITS Acting Chief Information Security Officer David Bell.
"We are proud of every participant in the Keep Kids Safe Online poster contest. These contest winners and all who participated are an example to all of us in how to navigate the dangers of our digital lives and properly protect the next generation and promote smart choices online," said Center for Internet Security Vice President of Communications Jason Forget.
The winners' artwork will be featured in the 2023 New York State "Kids Safe Online" Calendar. Winners will also receive a New York State certificate of achievement. All winning entries are submitted to the National K-12 Poster Contest, conducted by the CIS's MS-ISAC.
Congratulations to the following 2021-2022 New York State Poster Contest winners.
Eliana, Grade 12
Addison, Grade 8
Mabel Jiang, Grade 12 - Brooklyn Technical High School, District 13
Brennan Kane, Grade 2 - Dogwood Elementary, Smithtown School District
Leighton Kane, Grade 2 - Dogwood Elementary, Smithtown School District
Steven Kepler, Grade K - Dogwood Elementary, Smithtown School District
Swara Ketkar, Grade 7 - Pocantico Hills Central School District
Frank Lin, Grade 4 - PS94K, District 15
Megan Schafer, Grade 5 - North Shore Central School District
Aiza Tahir, Grade 8 - The Bay Academy for the Arts and Sciences, District 21
Valentina Valle, Grade 5 - South Huntington Union Free School District
Lila Vivona, Grade 9 - St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, Diocese of Rockville Center
Access more information on the New York State "Kids Safe Online" Poster Contest at its.ny.gov/cybersecurity.
About ITS
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) was created in 2012 to transform IT services in an effort to make New York State government work smarter for its citizens and enable the state to be accessible for businesses through the use of technology. ITS provides statewide IT strategic direction, directs IT policy and delivers centralized IT products and services that support the mission of the State. ITS operates data centers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support statewide mission-critical applications for over 50 Agencies, over 17 million citizen accounts, 120,000 employee accounts, 60,000 phones, 99,000 desktops and laptops, and 3,433 Virtual Desktop remote connections. ITS operates a secure network of over 1,600 miles of fiber to deliver telecommunications, Internet and Intranet services, enterprise email systems and support, IT training, networking, data storage and processing to State government entities in addition to developing new services in support of citizens, businesses and State Agencies.
For more information, visit https://its.ny.gov and follow us on Twitter @nysits.