HCDSB is excited to be running the 13th annual Keeping Christ in Christmas student contest! The contest is open for entries from Friday, October 17th through Sunday, November 9, 2025 at midnight.
About the Contest
Students are encouraged to submit entries that highlight the theme of the contest, and express in their own creativity how to Keep Christ in Christmas. We welcome entries from HCDSB students of all ages and abilities!
Students may submit entries in the following four (4) formats:
- Visual artwork (drawing, painting, photography, collage, sculpture, 3D model, etc.)
- Original song (written/composed by student. No cover songs or performances of existing songs)
- Short video (under 3 minutes – TikTok videos are also accepted!)
- Short story or poem (up to 250 words)
Submit an Entry
Both hard copy AND online submissions will be accepted this year!
Student work can be sent as hard copy to the Catholic Education Centre (to the attention of the Strategic Communications department) OR through the online submission form.
Deadline for Entries: Sunday, November 9th at 11:59 p.m.
What’s Next?
- After the submission period closes, student submissions will be reviewed separately by division, as follows: Primary (K-3), Junior (4-6), Intermediate (7-8), and Secondary (9-12).
- Finalists in each division will be selected, and an online voting period will take place to select the top winners in each division.
- Finalists include: three (3) separate submissions in each of the four (4) student divisions listed above.
- All 12 finalists will be recognized and top winners will be announced at a special awards presentation in December. A prize will be awarded to the top entry in each of the four (4) student divisions.
- Due to the overwhelming number and variety of submissions received in the past, the finalist submissions may be a combination of visual artwork, original songs, short videos, and short stories and poems, but does not necessarily guarantee that all of the above-noted formats will be equally represented in the finalist submissions.
How Are Entries Judged?
A judging panel will narrow down entries by selecting the submissions that demonstrate creativity and originality and best speak to the theme of the contest. The judging panel does not receive any personal information about contestants (name, age, gender, school, etc.), or any additional information that may influence the selection process.
Prizes
Each top prize winner will be awarded a gift card (of their choosing) from Indigo, Best Buy or Amazon valued at $350!
Sponsors
Special thanks to Halton OECTA Elementary Association and the Halton OECTA Secondary Association for their generous donations and for sponsoring the contest!
Parent Consent
The Halton Catholic District School Board and your child/ren’s school collect student information under the legal authority of The Education Act and its attendant regulations, as well as The Immunization of School Pupils Act and The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. During the school year, students may be involved in a wide variety of events and activities and it is an established practice for the Board and its schools to display and communicate information about these activities through a variety of channels. Parents and guardians of all student entrants must have completed and returned to their school, the Family/Information Consent Form, which is typically collected by each elementary school at the start of every school year. In secondary schools, this form is part of option sheets.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the contest, please feel free to email us at: keepingchrist@hcdsb.org