Smithville, Tenn. – The 2024 TNSTRONG Youth Summit held July 21 to July 23, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn., provided 523 participants from across Tennessee with an opportunity to learn from leading tobacco prevention experts and to network with like-minded peers.

The Summit’s goal was to fuel and equip participants to reach peers and adults in an ongoing effort to protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco use.

During the three-day Summit, youth had the opportunity to participate in a poster display contest featuring the theme, Lead the Community, Be the Positive Impact, to showcase the impact of tobacco prevention, advocacy, policy, community activities, and products in Tennessee.

A total of 13 contestants entered with awards given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, based on content, grammatical mechanics, and appearance with an emphasis on creatively representing the theme.  An overall Fan Favorite Winner was selected by all youth attending the Summit.

Zoie Chandelkar of Cheatham County placed 1st in the poster contest highlighting her work to reduce the risk of tobacco usage and vaping, promoting the TNSTRONG program, TNSTRONG Ambassador program, and educating others on the effects of smoking on health.

Spencer Burns of Dyer County won 2nd place with his poster that featured the work of three Dyer County teams who pledged to become Nicotine Free Teams and presented future Nicotine Free Team ideas.

Christian Cripps of DeKalb County was the 3rd place winner and showcased efforts to place Tobacco Free School signs in all DeKalb County schools, a project which will be completed after this summer.

The Fan Favorite Winner was Chloe Zheng of Putnam County with a Hollywood-themed poster emphasizing seven steps to tobacco-use prevention.