About the WinterKids Winter Games Competitive Track:

The Winter Games Competitive Track provides an opportunity for schools to earn cash prizes (up to $5,000!) by engaging students, staff, faculty, and the community in healthy outdoor activities. Teams (schools) participate by earning points for completing activities outlined in our weekly rubrics.

It’s a commitment. It’s competitive. It’s community-building.

The whole school gets involved and fosters a love of winter by moving and learning outside during Maine’s BEST season.

How it works:

In early December, schools can participate in a pre-competition orientation webinar.

Throughout the four weeks of the Winter Games, schools can accrue up to 25 points per week based on a rubric of challenges.

One school per week will receive one bonus point for the winning Wild Card Wednesday submission, as judged by an independent panel of WinterKids sponsors.

ALL Competitive Track schools will win cash and prizes regardless of where they rank in final results. Top cash prizes go to Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal-winning schools.

Schools that compete in the Competitive Track can expect the following:

• Four weeks of outdoor competition for the entire student body and faculty (extra points for non-teaching staff)
• A comprehensive PLAYBook and weekly rubrics to guide your team to success
• Community involvement to support your school
• Parent & family engagement, the likes of which you may not have seen before
• The four weeks will fly by when engaged in this fun, friendly competition!

What You’ll Need to Apply:

All Maine public schools with students in grades Pre-K through 8th are eligible to apply (excluding previous gold medal-winning schools) between October 1 and October 20, 2024.

We ask that you only submit ONE APPLICATION PER SCHOOL, so please communicate with all teachers in your school to identify a lead contact who will be responsible for filling out the application.

Be prepared to answer the following application questions:

• • Lead contact & school info
  • You may add up to five additional contacts who should receive communications throughout the Winter Games. This will be strictly for Winter Games communications, and will not subscribe them to our general email list.
  • School County
  • Grades in your school
  • Number of students enrolled in your school
  • Number of teachers at your school
  • Why do you want to participate in the 8th annual WinterKids Winter Games? (limited to 250 words)
  • What would winning a cash prize do for your school? (limited to 250 words)
  • Finally, you’ll need to prepare a brief video introducing us to your school. Include the school name, town, and county. We would love to see a bit of your facility, and student and staff community. This video should not exceed 30 seconds. Hold camera/phone in the horizontal position (wide angle vs. tall). If your school earns a spot in the Games, this video will also be featured on our website and social media channels. Please make sure all children who appear in your video are approved to do so. Below is a great example of a winning roster video:

Want to add the Winter Games logo to your school’s photos or videos? Right-click the image below to save it to your computer, or long-press it to save it to your mobile device.