St. John’s, Antigua – The official winner of the Population and Housing Census slogan completion was announced, Asahi Jaden Theo Joseph.
In 2024, the Census Office launched a national slogan competition across all primary and secondary schools to select the official slogan for Antigua and Barbuda’s 2025 Population and Housing Census. The initiative aimed to promote awareness and participation in the upcoming census. A total of two hundred forty-nine (249) entries were received, with students encouraged to include the word “Census” in their submissions, mirroring the approach used in the 2011 slogan, “Cooperate, Participate, Make Census 2011 Great.” However, seventy-three (73) entries were disqualified for failing to meet that key requirement.
A four-member panel comprising representatives from the Census National Advisory Committee (NAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) judged the submissions, ultimately selecting the winning slogan by a three-to-one majority vote. The slogan remained confidential until the official announcement.
The winning entry, “2025 Census – Mapping the Present, Shaping the Future,” was created by Asahi Jaden Theo Joseph, who was nine years old and a Grade Four student at Villa Primary School at the time of submission. Now ten and in Grade Five, Asahi received $500 XCD, a Samsung tablet, and a certificate of recognition during the award ceremony.
In recognition of their support, Sandra Boney-Felix, Villa Primary School’s principal at the time of the competition (now Zone Two Education Officer), and Maricia Samuel, the school’s current acting principal, were each presented with certificates of appreciation from the Census Office.
The Census Office expresses its gratitude to all participating students and schools, emphasizing the importance of youth engagement in national development efforts like the Census.