Minister Burke announces the winners of the annual Get SunSmart! Art competition

Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy Colm Burke has today announced the winners of the annual Get SunSmart! Children’s Art Competition.

The competition, now in its third year, saw a record number of entries from all over the country, and this year for the first time also included a pre-schools category.

Supported by Healthy Ireland in partnership with the National Cancer Control Programme in the Health Service Executive (HSE), the competition is part of the annual SunSmart campaign which aims to raise awareness and adoption of skin protective behaviours .

The winners for 2024 are:

Pre-schools – Chloe Ford from Delgany, Wicklow.
Junior Infants to 1st Class – Sophie Devaney from Terenure, Dublin.
2nd to 4th Class – Lewis Friel from Letterkenny, Donegal.
5th and 6th Class – Nondumiso Nhleko from Knocklyon, Dublin.

Each winner will receive an OPW Family Heritage Card, a family day pass for Dublin Zoo, and a National book token worth €20.

Minister Burke said:

“Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland, but it is mostly preventable by being SunSmart and looking after your skin.

It is never too early to educate children on the importance of being safe in the sun, and especially now during the summer holidays, it is vital that we remember to be SunSmart and follow the 5S’s.

“I want to congratulate our 4 winners, and all the runners up, for their fantastic entries, which displayed such talent and originality. They should be hugely proud of their achievements in not only doing so well in the competition but in helping to spread our SunSmart message.”

Children’s skin is particularly vulnerable to sun damage and getting sunburned in childhood is associated with a higher risk of developing skin cancer in later life. Exposure to UV radiation during childhood is particularly harmful. Severe sunburn during childhood (3 or more instances before the age of 20) is associated with a 2-4 times higher risk of developing melanoma in later life.

The SunSmart 5 Ss are:

Slip on clothing that covers your skin such as wearing long sleeves, collared t-shirts
Slop on broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) water resistant sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30+ for adults and 50+ for children, with high UVA protection. Reapply regularly
Slap on a hat with a wide brim: Protect your face, ears and neck
Seek shade: Sit in cover of trees to avoid direct sunlight and use a sunshade on your buggy or pram. Keep babies and children out of direct sunlight
Slide on sunglasses to protect your eyes

Make these simple habits part of your daily routine especially from April to September when UV is strongest, even on cloudy days.