Newswise — The Academy's contest is open to boys and girls in two groups, grades 3-5 and 6-8. The winner in each group and their parents/guardians will be invited to attend the 2007 AAP National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco on October 27. Both winners will receive $500 and up to $1,000 for travel-related expenses. The two second-place winners will each receive $250. The four winners' schools will each receive matching cash amounts. Winners and some other entrants will have their artwork featured on the AAP Web site and in promotional materials. The contest theme is "Things I Can Do To Keep Safe and Be Healthy".

To enter, children should submit an original piece of artwork to: American Academy of Pediatrics, Art Contest, 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007.

Official entry forms and consent forms must accompany all entries and are available online at http://www.aap.org/artcontest/ . Entries must be postmarked by June 18, 2007. Winning entries will be selected by a panel of judges including pediatricians, and announced in the summer.

AAP President Jay E. Berkelhamer, MD, FAAP, says, "I encourage children to flex their creative muscles and enter the Academy's 2007 art contest. We were dazzled by the superb quality of entries we received in our two previous contests from children all across the country. There are some incredibly talented young artists in our schools. Some of the best of the best entries will be seen by millions of visitors to the Academy's Web site at aap.org"