FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Students in the Fairfield area can have a chance to win a $1,000 drug prevention grant for their school and an iPad for their family by decorating the front of their home with a Red Ribbon Week inspired theme.

Red Ribbon Week, which will be held from Tuesday through Oct. 31, is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country.

In 1985 after the murder of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, parents, youth and teachers in communities across the country began wearing red ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the destruction caused by drugs.

“DEA is excited to partner with the National Family Partnership on this contest that empowers communities to come together to talk about the drug problem,” said Michele M. Leonhart, DEA administrator. “Red Ribbon Week is also when we honor DEA Special Agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena, who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our communities safe.”

Now in its 27th year, the campaign reaches more than 80 million people nationwide. The DEA is co-sponsoring this year’s national contest.

Students will work alongside their parents to decorate a front door, mailbox, fence, etc. with this year’s theme of “The Best Me Is Drug Free.” Photos of the student with his or her family and the decorations can be uploaded to www.redribbon.org/contest or www.facebook.com/RedRibbonWeek. The deadline is Nov. 2. Photos must be uploaded by parents or an individual over 18.

Family and friends can vote for an entry at www.redribbon.org/vote from Nov. 2 through Nov. 16. Ten winners from regions across the United States will be announced in December at events at their winning schools.

“Students will once again take Red Ribbon Week’s message of prevention home to their neighborhoods with this national contest,” said Peggy Sapp, NFP’s volunteer president. “By decorating their homes together with this year’s Red Ribbon theme, families carry the message to their communities.”

Studies show that substance abuse risks lessen when children talk to their parents about the dangers of drugs, and the goal of 2012’s contest is to encourage families to talk about prevention. Visit www.redribbon.org/contest for contest information.