The OCNA invites you to participate in a fun, feel-good awareness campaign for the industry – a contest that asks readers to recycle newspapers into something new.
“This Old Newspaper?!” challenges participants to use newspapers to create whatever they can dream up: clothing, art, furniture – the possibilities are endless!
We are asking our members to run a local competition, with winners from each local contest then vying for the OCNA provincial prize of $1,000.
Getting creative with leftover newspapers is a great activity for families to do with kids while spending more time at home this summer, and a challenge for adults who find themselves “bored in the house”. The resulting creations should provide some great visuals and stories for your paper, and generate community interest and engagement.
The OCNA will supply promotional material that you can brand your own. There will also be an online gallery, and prize money. We plan on three categories: Open, Junior under 12, and Family.
The rules will be simple:
- Participants must repurpose newspaper into something creative and/or functional (anything goes – ballgown, basket, lampshade) and submit it to their local community newspaper.
Note: While a piece created 100% of newspaper is ideal, we recognize that other materials may be necessary for framework and stability. Therefore, a piece MUST consist of at least 70% recycled newspaper. Of course, it must also be appropriate for the public to admire. - In addition to a brief description about the participant’s creation, they must submit a series of photos or videos taken during the construction process to show how the piece was developed.
- The local community newspaper will submit each participant’s work to the OCNA by September 1 for consideration in the provincial contest.
- The provincial contest will then go live virtually for readers across Ontario to view and judge. The piece with the most votes will win.
It will be the newspaper’s responsibility to communicate to readers and solicit participants. The OCNA, however, will supply a creative template for use in print and online, along with a sample editorial. You of course know how best to connect with your communities and the best way to motivate participation, so feel free to write your own.
Will a reader from your local community newspaper create the winning recycled newspaper piece? You’ll have to confirm your participation first. Please respond to Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org no later than Friday, July 10. Note: This opportunity is open to all members of the OCNA and is entirely optional.
Check out some of these examples we found online:
