National Career Development Month
NCDA Poetry & Art Contest
NCDA promotes career development through its annual celebration of National Career Development Month. Every November, career development professionals are encouraged to celebrate with career related activities. In particular, NCDA sponsors an annual Poetry and Art Contest.
November 2025 is National Career Development Month.
November 17-21 is National Career Development Week.
November 19 is National Career Development Day.
Watch here for the 60th annual Poetry & Art Contest announcement.
The 59th annual Poetry & Art Contest winners will be announced in May.
CREATING MY CAREER PATH: EMBRACING CHANGE IN MY JOURNEY
View the 59th Annual Poetry & Art Contest Brochure .
Entries will be judged on how they celebrate and inspire career development with a positive tone while emphasizing the national theme. Your ideas are valuable and worth celebrating!
Every adult and student enrolled school is eligible, as well as adult practitioners who are not in school. Entries may be either poetry or art. Contest divisions areas include:
- Primary - grades K-2
- Intermediate - grades 3-5
- Middle - grades 6-8
- Senior - grades 9-12
- Adult Student - ages 18 and older, enrolled in school
- Open Adult - ages 18 and older, not enrolled in school
Use the form links in the brochure to submit entries.
Contest Deadlines:
- Building/School Contest Submitted to State Contest by December 20, 2024
- State Contest submitted online to National Contest by February 20, 2025
- Individual (no state/building) submitted by February 20, 2025
The winning entries for each division will be recognized and displayed on the NCDA website in June, as well as at the annual Global Career Development Conference to be held in each summer. National winners will also receive a special certificate from the National Career Development Association. Complete contest rules are listed in the brochure.
Questions? Contact NCD Month Chair Kimberly Carothers or email NCDA headquarters: info@ncda.org
NCD Month Resources:
Social media toolkit. This link will allow you to make a copy of the CANVA template, which can be edited to fit the needs of school and state contest coordinators to advertise the contest. Thanks to Logann Dolan, who created these graphics.
Career Lesson Plans for specific grades. Thanks to Meredith Brown for creating these plans.
NCD Month K-12 Activities - Provided by Liz Jones.
NCD Month Celebration of Work. In the presidential year of Jane Goodman, 2006 Eminent Career Award Winner, many NCDA members, such as LeeAnn Bernier-Clarke (Editor), Pat Wickwire, Judith Ettinger, Victoria Wildermuth and priceless others, collaborated to create one of the most remarkable NCD Month Activity Books available.
Creative NCD Celebrations - see how others have celebrated!
Career Convergence offers many articles detailing activities for all age groups. Here are a few that might help you help your students celebrate NCD Month:
- Career Exploration in First Grade - By Deb Osborn
- Why Career Exploration Matters for Middle School Students - By Richard Wong
- K-12 College and Career Readiness Standards: Transforming Postsecondary Planning - By Leann M. Morgan
- Positive Psychology Techniques for K-12 Career Counseling - by Louis V. Paradise and Dawn Romano Ironside
- 21 Strategies for K-12 Career Development - by Deb Osborn
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Cultivating Career Counseling Excitement through Interactive Arts-Based Methods - By Barbara Parker-Bell
Click here for the NCD Month State Contacts
Each NCD Month entry must go through a state contest. If your state contact is not listed in the above link or your state is not participating in NCD Month, please contact NCDA Headquarters or e-mail the national chair for further instructions: Kimberly Carothers at kimberlycarothers8@gmail.com
