The Dorchester Stop the Drop anti-litter group has teamed up with Communities Living Sustainably in Dorset to launch a poster campaign.

Children from all schools in the Dorchester Area Schools Partnership (DASP) are invited to design anti-litter posters with a theme of ‘Don’t Be a Little Monster’.

The competition, which closes on Friday, January 31, is part of a wider schools programme that is encouraging children in the county town to develop sustainability awareness and environmental leadership. The project is being supported by the Dorset branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Dorchester BID (Business Improvement District) as well as Dorchester Town Council.

After all the entries are in there will be a short listing exercise to select the top three posters.

Bob Kerr from the Stop the Drop group said: “The three winning pupils will then work with a designer to create a set of professional quality posters which will be printed by Epic Creative Print of Dorchester for display in shop and office windows throughout the town, with support from the Dorchester BID.”

He added: “We hope to have a local celebrity and others at the final awards ceremony which is scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, March 5 at Dorchester’s Corn Exchange. “Attending this will be the three winners and their respective eco school leader.”

On the same day as the awards ceremony there will be a stand outside Waitrose in the Tudor Arcade manned by Communities Living Sustainably and Stop the Drop representatives.

They will be accompanied by a model of the ‘little monster’ created by Dorchester schoolchildren along with the shortlisted posters.

Those manning the stand will also be handing out Keep Britain Tidy leaflets with facts about litter and how to combat it to anyone who is interested.

The three competition winners will also receive a mug with their winning entry upon it and a donation of £50 will be made to their school’s eco team.

• THE Little Monster poster competition was launched by the Dorchester area’s newest Green Flag Eco-School, St Mary’s First School in Charminster.

Supported by eco-teacher Kate Brake and headteacher Ian Donnelly, the school’s Green Team has worked hard to make their school more sustainable, addressing topics including biodiversity, energy, litter and waste around school.

The Eco-Schools award is an international awards programme supporting the school community to make changes to reduce their environmental impact and bring environmental learning into school activities.

A large number of Dorchester schools are active in the Eco-Schools programme.

St Mary’s joins Dorchester’s two existing Green Flag schools in the area, Winterbourne Valley First School and St Osmund’s Middle School in the county town.

And here's how you can enter the competition

THE competition is open to anyone aged between five and 18 living in or around Dorchester or who attends a DASP school.

Entrants need to design an eye-catching poster to remind the public to care for our environment and keep Dorchester litter-free.

You can use any media you like – drawing, painting, printing or using computer graphics, so long as it’s bold and sends out your message.

Your entry must be A4 portrait size and include the words ‘Dorset Litter Monster’.

Everything else is up to you.

Entries can be sent to Alison Jay, Eco-Schools Support Officers, Sustainability Team, Environmental Services Directorate, Dorset County Council, County Hall, DT1 1XJ.

If your design is digital, you can also email a pdf or jpeg to a.m.jay@dorsetcc.gov.uk.

Entries must include your name, age and school and must be submitted before the closing date of Friday, January 31. All the graphics and wording must be your original work.

All shortlisted entries will be publicly displayed in Dorchester during Climate Week from March 3 to March 10.

For more information visit cls.org.uk.