September marks the start of International Balloon Month, which will see non-profit organisation The Balloon Council (TBC) encouraging the public to celebrate the joy of balloons and highlight the need for everyone to use and dispose of balloons responsibly.
International Balloon Month will once again feature the #LiftUpSomebody campaign, inspiring people around the world to thank someone in their community by giving them balloons and sharing the joy on social media.
Balloons have played an even more important role in our lives than usual this year by becoming a symbol of hope, survival, and community spirit throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, the 2020 International Balloon Month #LiftUpSomebody Campaign and Photo Contest will focus on showcasing how balloons have been used to spread joy during this difficult time and encouraging the public to give balloons to support and thank those who have made a difference in their local communities.
“We have seen amazing examples of balloons used to decorate windows and porches during lockdown, to greet Covid-19 survivors as they left hospitals, to celebrate graduations and birthdays as part of car caravans when parties weren’t an option,” said Lorna O’Hara, executive director of The Balloon Council. “We want to recognise these creative and impactful efforts and encourage others to use balloons to spread goodwill and ‘lift up’ the spirits of their friends, neighbours and essential workers this autumn during International Balloon Month.”
The campaign encourages people to ‘lift up’ those around them using the positive power of balloons and then share those images across social media platforms, to win prizes from a number of high-profile balloon industry sponsors, including Anagram, Qualatex, Premium Balloon Accessories and Betallic.
This year will see the images being split into a number of different competition categories: Community, Heroes, Home, Family and Safe balloon practices. The final category challenges people to use photos or short videos (using #BeBalloonSmart), demonstrating how to use and dispose of balloons properly based on TBC’s five tips.
To enter the photo contest, images must be tagged with the hashtag #LiftUpSomebody and shared on The Balloon Council’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages (@balloonsliftup). Photos can also be submitted to beballoonsmart@gmail.com and prizes will be awarded for the best images. Visit www.balloonsliftup.com for full details.
