The Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation and Arizona PBS are pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Children’s Digital Media Contest, which is part of a larger “Healthy Smiles” campaign to promote good oral health to children across the state. Through the program, kids in pre-K through third grade were invited to create digital media with the theme of having a healthy smile! The projects could range from photos, to videos and posters. The individual entry winners were awarded a PBS KIDS PlayPad Tablet and a Delta Dental gift basket with dental care items. These winners are:

• Aya Bradford, who is homeschooled in Tempe, Arizona
• Grace Bowling from Leman Virtual Academy in Sierra Vista, Arizona
• Zaid Diaz from Dobson Academy in Mesa, Arizona

Aya, Grace and Zaid were also able to join us for a celebration of their work at Arizona PBS studios, where they took a tour, shared some snacks and helped us to create some content as well as receive their gift baskets! Pictured from left to right are Aya, Zaid and Grace.

The group entry winners were rewarded with a Delta Dental gift bag for each student as well as a tour of Arizona PBS studios and the Cronkite New Studios, where students were able to get a behind the scenes look at how we produce content! Congratulations to Mr. Burch and his class from Flowing Wells Junior High in Tucson, Arizona!

Through this contest and a series of free events, we met our goal of boosting family involvement in good oral health practices, focusing on the importance of brushing twice a day, changing toothbrushes regularly and visiting the dentist twice a year. A series of free events were held from February to September in 2022 in rural areas, including Bouse, Bullhead City, Grand Canyon, Lake Havasu City, Parker, Prescott Valley, Safford, San Luis, Somerton, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona. Each event featured PBS characters, educational crafts, activities and giveaways for children up to age 8. Local dental professionals also offered free dental screenings and fluoride varnish treatments. Entires were judged by:

• Barb Kozuh, Executive Director of Delta Dental of Arizona
• Esperanza Jauregui, Grants Coordinator of Delta Dental
• Robyn Hazen, Web Marketing Specialist at Arizona PBS

Thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations to this year’s winners!

Delta Dental of Arizona is the leading dental benefits provider in Arizona, serving more than 1.2 million enrollees and more than 3,500 contracted dentists across the state. Passionate about oral health and its importance to generations of families, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked for nearly 50 years to improve oral health by emphasizing preventive care and making dental coverage accessible to a wide variety of employers, groups and individuals. Since 2010, Delta Dental of Arizona, through its Foundation, gave $12 million to support oral health education and disease prevention programs for underserved and uninsured communities across the state. For more information about Delta Dental of Arizona, visit www.deltadentalaz.com.