Join the Gattaca Kids X-Mess Competition and get your kids crafting!

xmess_2022

With just under a month to go until Christmas, we're excited to announce that our Gattaca Kids X-Mess Competition is returning!

In 2021, we ran a competition asking our Gattaca Kids to gather up some waste packaging and products found around their homes, and come up with new, inventive ways to create Christmas decorations – fun, stylish, silly, Christmassy - the possibilities were endless! In return, our entrants were in with a chance to win some great prizes whilst doing the important job of learning about the environment and saving waste from ending up in landfill.

And we had such amazing feedback last year from our colleagues, who were thrilled with how their children had responded to our sustainable message, that we decided this year we ought to go bigger.

So this year, for the first time ever, our X-Mess competition is open to ALL children, not just the kids of our Gattaca colleagues!

That's right, your own children could be in with a chance to win brilliant prizes by repurposing household waste into sparkling Christmas decorations!

So, how does it work?

For 2022, we are again asking children of all ages to gather up some waste packaging and products that were headed for the bin, and transform them into a festive decoration – from baubles and wreaths to sleighs or menorahs, the choice is yours!  

For bonus points, use materials that wouldn't normally be recycled and would otherwise just end up in a landfill and create something (with help of your grown-ups, of course) that can add that extra touch of magic to your house, Christmas tree, or front door – the possibilities are endless!

Every Christmas, the average household is estimated to produce 30% more waste. In the US & UK combined, we throw away over 28 million tonnes of waste, which is about four-and-a-half times as heavy as The Great Pyramid of Giza!  

A large amount of this waste is non-recyclable, with more than 100 million bags of rubbish being sent to landfill after Christmas in the UK alone. The amount of wrapping paper thrown away would even stretch to the moon!  

Last year, this challenge prompted loads of brilliant conversations with our little ones about the importance of minimising waste and recycling goods to reduce our impact on the environment. So, we're hoping that 2022 brings more conversation and more change!

  1. Click here, or on the link at the bottom of this article to register for the competition 
  2. Find the materials you’ll be using to create your upcycled decorations 
  3. Design and create your upcycled decoration 
  4. Submit your entries (you’ll be provided an email to send this to once you register) by Tuesday 3rd January 

 
After that, all that remains is to wait and see if your child will be the lucky winner of our prize draw… 

Want to get your kids on board? Show them this short video:

 

 

There are three different age categories: 0-4-year-olds, 5-8-year-olds and 9-15-year-olds and there will be a Gold, Silver, and Bronze prize up for grabs in each category!


Gold Prize!


In each category, the child whose decoration is crowned the overall winner will be purchased a Christmas gift up to the value of £250, or €250 / $300 / R 5100 for our international kids!

They’ll be able to get themselves the pressie they’re dreaming of (subject to parental approval!) – whether that’s the latest games console, a must-have toy, or even a day trip out with the family. And if they’re inspired by the competition, they might even want to purchase something sustainable.


Silver Prize!


Silver prize winners in each age group will win a Christmas gift up to the value of £100, or €100 / $150 / R 2036 for our international kids!

From big Lego projects to newly released video games, your children could wake up to an extra special present on Christmas morning. 


Bronze Prize!


Bronze prize winners in each age category will get to Adopt An Endangered Animal through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 
 
Why adopt an animal? Well, climate change, pollution, and deforestation are just a few of the threats to the animals on the WWF’s endangered species list – and Christmas waste is one of the many contributors to this. The Bronze winner will pick an animal of their choice to help whilst receiving a cuddly toy, welcome pack certificate, and regular updates. 



Entry reward! 


And if you don’t win? No worries! All children who submit entries will have a tree planted in their name. This is a great opportunity to kick-start important conversations with our little people about the environment and how we can all be doing our bit to help. 

 

We can't wait to see your entries - happy upcycling & a very merry X-Mess!

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