Caribbean Lightning Safety Awareness Contest 2025

With the Caribbean region experiencing frequent thunderstorms, and lightning strikes posing serious risk to individuals and communities, this competition seeks to engage school-aged children in promoting lightning safety awareness. The contest is a regional partnership led by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and regional institutions, with funding from the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) and private sector sponsors.

Competition Details

Start Date: 24 March 2025

End Date: 25 April 2025

We encourage schools to make use of the time period after exams and before Easter break to prepare and submit their videos.

Flyer: Competition flyer

Eligibility & Rules

• Open to school-aged children across the English-speaking Caribbean
• Only schools can submit entries
• One submission per school

Categories

• Ages 6-11: Spoken word video on "How to Stay Safe Before and During a Lightning Storm"
• Ages 12-18: Video demonstration on "How to Provide First Aid for Lightning Strike Victims"

Entry Details

All interested schools must register through this form: Competition Registration

Carefully review the full competition rules here: Rules

Prizes

First-place winners will receive weather stations, lightning detection sensors and US$1,000.

Second-place winners will receive weather stations and US$500.

Third-place winners will receive weather stations and US$250.

Winning videos will be featured in public awareness campaigns.

Resources

Interested schools are encouraged to access these resources

• International Lightning Safety Day Tips (CMO)
• Personal Safety (US National Lightning Safety Council)
• Personal Safety and First Aid (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Medical Features of Lightning Injuries (Norberto Navarrette, MD, MSc - 2021 Lightning Symposium, CMO and WMO)
• Presentations from 2021 Symposium on Lightning and Lightning Safety Awareness (CMO and WMO)

Judging Criteria

• Creativity and originality (25 points)
• Accuracy and clarity (25 points)
• Engagement and presentation (20 points)
• Inclusiveness (20 points)
• Adherence to submission guidelines (10 points)

Submit Entries

Submit here: Submission Form

Contact Information

Email queries to: cmo_lightning@cmo.org.tt

FAQs

This section will be updated as queries come in.