The Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) has announced the winners of the 2025 Caribbean Lightning Safety Awareness Contest, a regional initiative to boost public knowledge of lightning safety and first aid through creative expression by school children.
Twelve schools from across the Caribbean submitted entries showcasing outstanding creativity, accuracy, and inclusiveness in delivering vital safety messages. Judges from the meteorology, education, public health, and disaster risk management sectors noted the exceptional quality of entries, which made the task of selecting winners extremely challenging.
The winners in each age category are:
6-11 Years
- First Place: Camperdown Primary & Infant School – Jamaica
- Second Place: St Mary’s Primary School – Dominica
- Third Place: St Andrew’s Anglican School – The Bahamas
12-18 Years
- First Place: Manzanilla Secondary School – Trinidad & Tobago
- Second Place: St Catherine’s Academy – Belize
- Third Place: Mopan Technical School – Belize
First-place winners will each receive a lightning detector and a weather station, while second and third-place schools will receive weather stations, all sponsored by AccuWeather. The top three schools in each category will also receive cash awards, compliments of the CREWS Initiative, Campbell Scientific, Vaisala, and Stevens Water Monitoring Systems Inc., supporting their continued learning and community safety efforts.
This year’s contest coincided with International Lightning Safety Awareness Week, an annual event that culminated in International Lightning Safety Day, 28 June. The week’s activities sought to raise global awareness of lightning hazards and the steps that can be taken to protect lives and property.
The contest was conceptualised by the CMO and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with key inputs from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and the support of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. The initiative also benefited from private sector partnerships with HydroMeteorological and Environmental Industry (HMEI) members: AccuWeather Inc., Campbell Scientific, Vaisala, and Stevens Water Monitoring Systems Inc.
The activity formed part of a broader regional effort under the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Caribbean Project Phase 2, aimed at enhancing multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk knowledge across the Region. It complements other key activities, including the development of a pilot lightning detection network, capacity building among National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services (NMHSs) in issuing lightning warnings, and regional public education campaigns on lightning safety and first aid.
The CMO extends its deepest appreciation to all participating schools for their dedication and creativity, and for contributing to the advancement of a culture of safety and resilience in the Caribbean. (Adapted from Caribbean Meteorological Organization Press Release)
About the CMO
The Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) is a specialised agency of the Caribbean Community that coordinates the joint scientific and technical activities in weather, climate and water–related sciences in sixteen English-speaking Caribbean countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands). The Organs of the CMO are: (i) The Caribbean Meteorological Council (CMC)‐the Supreme, Governing Body, (ii) The Headquarters Unit (Secretariat), headed by a Coordinating Director, located in Trinidad and Tobago; (iii) The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) located in Barbados; and (iv) The Caribbean Meteorological Foundation (CMF). The CMO originated from the British Caribbean Meteorological Service, founded in 1951.