“I am thrilled to announce the ‘My County’ poster contest for 2026,” said County Surrogate Maureen T. Raisch. “We invite all fourth graders to take part in this great contest to illustrate what they love about Monmouth County, including our County Government and all of the services and programs it offers to our residents. I can’t wait to see the creativity of these posters!”
Since the majority of fourth graders study the State of New Jersey as part of their social studies curriculum, all school principals in Monmouth County are being asked to get fourth grade students involved by creating their own poster that relates to Monmouth County. The posters created should depict special and unique things about Monmouth County.
Rules for the contest are as follows:
• Posters must be on a standard 22-inch by 28-inch poster board.
• The words “Monmouth County” must appear at the top of the poster in 4-inch letters with black marker.
• The student’s name, teacher’s name and school must be printed neatly in the lower right-hand corner on the back of the poster.
“The ‘My County’ poster contest is a great way for our young Monmouth residents to learn about County government while allowing them a chance to be creative and have fun,” said County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon. “Every year, I am impressed with the talent and imagination of our fourth graders and I look forward to the wonderful ways they will represent our great County artistically in this year’s contest.”
“We look forward to the ‘My County’ poster contest every year since it is a project where students dedicate valuable time and use innovative ideas to create posters about Monmouth County,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “It is also a notable example of civic engagement as it helps our students learn more about the great County we live in.”
Posters must be mailed or delivered to the Monmouth County Surrogate’s Office at the Monmouth County Hall of Records, 1 East Main St., Freehold. The deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2026. Invitations to participate in the contest have been sent to all County school principals.
Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners. Nine posters will also receive honorable mentions. Each of the 12 posters will be individually displayed at the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office.
The poster contest is sponsored statewide by the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey to commemorate County Government Month in April. All posters become the property of the Constitutional Officers Association and the County of Monmouth. Submission of a poster grants the Constitutional Officers Association permission to display a poster in public places.
For more information about the poster contest, go to www.visitmonmouth.com or contact the Surrogate’s Office at 732-431-7330, ext. 7331.
