New York Tenth-Grader is the National Winner of the MS-ISAC® Annual Kids Safe Online Poster Contest

Twelve Other Student State Winners Will Also Be Featured in the 2020 MS-ISAC Cybersecurity Calendar

East Greenbush, N.Y.

May 16, 2019

A New York tenth-grader, named Cecilia* has been named the national winner of the CIS® (Center for Internet Security, Inc.) Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC) annual Kids Safe Online Poster Contest. The tenth-grade teen’s artwork will be featured on the cover of MS-ISAC’s 2020 Cybersecurity Calendar.

Twelve other state winners from the contest will also be featured in the calendar, which will be distributed nationwide as part of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM) in October 2019.

“The National Kids Safe Online Poster Contest lets our youth educate their peers on how to stay safe online. The posters share tips for safe web surfing and the responsible use of social media platforms,” said Thomas Duffy, Chair of the MS-ISAC, and CIS Senior Vice President of Operations and Services. “Given this enormous talent, we hope these young artists, and those who view their messages, will consider a career in cybersecurity. The U.S. presently has more than 350,000 job openings in cybersecurity. These young people are poised to be our next generation of cyber heroes,” he added.

*Out of respect for the contestants’ safety, only a limited amount of information is released by CIS. Representatives of the media who need more information on the winners can contact Barbara Ware, CIS Director of Communications at [email protected].

The complete list of 2019 Kids Safe Online poster contest winners is:

  • Katherine, Grade 8, Maryland
  • Sydney, Grade 8, Virginia
  • Aarush, Grade 8, New Jersey
  • Sarah, Grade 4, Montana
  • Isabel, Grade 7, Arizona*
  • Cesar, Grade 9, Arizona
  • Miyu, Grade 11, Arizona
  • Cecilia, Grade 10, New York* – Calendar Cover Winner, 1st place
  • Danielle, Grade 12, New York*
  • Emily, Grade 9, New York
  • Megan, Grade 12, New York
  • Oliver, Grade 4, New Jersey
  • Sanjay, Grade 6, New Jersey*

Contest Details

The contest is open to all students in public and private schools, and youth organizations in kindergarten through 12th grade in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and U.S. and military installations in foreign nations. Schools designate one teacher or administrator to select the entries that are submitted. Home-schooled students submit entries directly to the MS-ISAC each year.

*These winners’ artwork will be made into posters in addition to being featured in the MS-ISAC calendar. Each state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government in the United States is invited to conduct a poster contest within their jurisdiction and submit a total of 15 entries per entity. Thirteen winners are selected to represent the 12 calendar months of the year plus the cover. They will have their artwork in the MS-ISAC’s nationally distributed Cybersecurity Calendar. In addition, those with winning entries will be sent calendars and educational materials to promote cybersecurity within their school districts.

View MS-ISAC Poster Winners May 2019

About MS-ISAC

The Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) is a voluntary and collaborative effort designated by the Department of Homeland Security as the key resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for the nation’s state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. Through its state-of-the-art 24/7 Security Operations Center, the MS-ISAC serves as a central resource for situational awareness and incident response for SLTT governmental entities.

About CIS

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a forward-thinking, non-profit entity that harnesses the power of a global IT community to safeguard private and public organizations against cyber threats. Our CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks are the global standard and recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data against the most pervasive attacks. These proven guidelines are continuously refined and verified by a volunteer, global community of experienced IT professionals. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the go-to resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities. To learn more, visit CISecurity.org or follow us on Twitter: @CISecurity