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The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (KVDL) at Kansas State University, along with Bavarian Nordic and the One Health Commission Bat Rabies Education Team (BRET), are holding a poster contest to teach kids about rabies prevention. This year’s poster theme is “Act Now: You, Me, Community,” showing how people and communities can work together to prevent rabies.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade across Kansas can participate. Winners will receive a prize as well as a donation to their school. Posters must be submitted by Jan. 30, 2026.

The contest is designed to raise awareness about rabies, how it affects wildlife and ecosystems, and how to prevent it. Rabies is a deadly disease that can be passed from infected mammals, like bats, to humans. While bats are important for pollination and controlling insects, they are the main source of human rabies cases in the U.S.

For more information, visit the KDHE rabies webpage.