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Try Your Luck on Government Web Sites
By Donna Arner
Oxford County Library
For The Oxford Review
May 7, 2001
Contests! Our government web sites not only offer a wealth of information, guides, forms and links that appeal to anyone, they are also a gateway to contests! It takes some searching, but contests can be found (and in the process, lots of interesting information is right at our fingertips!).
Start with the Canada Site (www.canada.gc.ca). Just by clicking on the new “2001 Census” icon and then Interactive Zone, a contest is readily discovered. Take the Census Challenge and you could win a prize! To find more contests, go back to the Canada Site home page and click on “About Canada”. Choose from the list shown, (Interactive Zone, Teachers/Students, Kids’ Zone and others). Begin your search.
Contest information found by looking at links that offered possibilities, are: “Write it Up Contest”; “Virtual Museum of Canada”; CBC4Kids Games Arcades; “Canadian Museum of Nature-Discover” and the “Welcome Home Contest” (some links on the page denote contests).
The “Virtual Museum of Canada” has several gateways, one of which is “Fun & Games”. Click on that and you’ll see a selection of games and activities, including “Treasure Hunt”, a contest with great prizes. The contest is open until the end of May/01, to children age 8-17. Follow the instructions (and read the rules!). This site not only offers a chance to win a prize, children will gather some interesting facts along the way. There are wonderful graphics of museums across Canada as well as some of their displays.
The “Welcome Home Contest” is promoted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Children (age 5-13) can send a poem, story or artwork, welcoming newcomers who will take their Oath of Citizenship this year.
CBC4Kids is a link that has assorted contests on it. “Scavenger Hunt” is one of them. A list of questions is shown. Answer them by surfing the Internet and then submit your answers, along with the web page addresses where they were found.
Our Ontario Site (www.gov.on.ca) also offers contests. Click on “Travel & Tourism Links” and see what’s available. Scroll down to “Attractions Ontario”. There is a “Win a Summer Family Vacation Getaway” contest! Go back to the Ontario Site home page and, using the drop down for Ministry Web Sites, click on “Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs”. Near the bottom of that page, go to OMAFRA Kids. Then, go to “Links”. At the top of that page is a link to the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency. Click on “Promotion” and you have an opportunity to win an indoor/outdoor electric barbeque!
While surfing the government web sites, you will see many links for children and youth. These links often have games, activities, quizzes, and maybe even a contest or two.
Some of the contests will soon close so keep looking for new promotions. Remember to read and follow the rules and regulations. Someone will win those prizes…it may be you!
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