Ready, set, vote! Deb Group announced today the five finalists in the elementary, middle and high school categories for its official Happy Hands Dispenser Design Contest, which promotes hand hygiene at schools. The public is invited to vote for their favorite student-drawn design to be displayed on the winner’s schools soap dispensers now through March 19^th here: www.debgroup.com/us/happy-hands.

“We were so thrilled to see the amount of creativity, artistic talent and imagination that went into each and every submitted design,” said Isabelle Faivre, Vice President of Marketing, Deb North America. “Students hear hand hygiene is important all the time, but by highlighting the message through artistic expression, it makes educating and promoting clean hands at schools more fun and engaging.”

With emoji’s, astronauts and even scuba-divers, each finalist design shows the importance of hand washing in a unique, colorful way. The 2016/2017 Deb Group Happy Hands Dispenser Design Contest finalists include:

Elementary School:

• Destiny C., Fifth Grade, Park Elementary, Brooklyn Park, MD
• Tyler S., Fourth Grade, Caldwell Elementary, Scottsboro, AL
• Delani R., Second Grade, Deick Elementary, Swartz Creek, MI
• Eddie A., Fourth Grade, Schrop Intermediate, Akron, OH
• Kinley J., Fourth Grade, Caldwell Elementary, Scottsboro, AL

Middle School:

• Amir S., Sixth Grade, Levey Middle School, Southfield, MI
• Laney P., Sixth Grade, Newport Middle School, Newport, OR
• Laryn D., Eighth Grade, Levey Middle School, Southfield, MI
• Karen P., Sixth Grade, Newport Middle School, Newport, OR
• Chelsea I., Seventh Grade, Levey Middle School, Southfield, MI

High School:

• Veronica V., 10^th Grade, University High School Academy, Southfield, MI
• Uriah L., 10^th Grade, Alliance High School, Alliance, NE
• Margaret H., Ninth Grade, Alliance High School, Alliance, NE
• Harley H., Ninth Grade, Alliance High School, Alliance, NE
• Lesley D., 11^th Grade, Alliance High School, Alliance, NE

The student whose design receives the most votes in each category will receive a $200 gift card. Each winning students’ school will also receive a $500 donation and the winning designs will be custom printed for free on up-to 500 manual Deb soap/sanitizer dispensers for use at the students’ school.

Representatives from the Healthy Schools Campaign helped select 5 finalists in each category. Between January 26 and March 19, 2017, the public will be able to vote for their favorite design among the finalists. The designs receiving the most votes in each category will be announced on March 27, 2017.

“The Happy Hands Contest allows students to get involved in an effort to promote health while also expressing themselves,” said Rochelle Davis, CEO and President, Healthy Schools Campaign. "This is the perfect way to get students, and even faculty, excited about handwashing and remind them just how essential that simple act is in promoting student health."

To learn more, visit www.debgroup.com.