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Making hand hygiene fun

How do you get kids excited about hygiene? Put it in their hands.

As COVID-19 spread in 2020, we amplified communications about SC Johnson’s Happy Hands Contest — a program that educates children about the importance of clean hands and makes hand hygiene fun. 

We harnessed the power of social media to reach teachers and school administrators, increasing participation in the contest at a crucial time. 

We set kids a creative challenge
Making a difference with the Happy Hands Contest

As the world discovered in 2020, hand washing is a simple but powerful act. Hand hygiene is critical in preventing the spread of germs in schools, helping to keep children safe and make the world a better, healthier place.

The Happy Hands Contest was created in 2017 by SC Johnson Professional, which provides expert skin care, cleaning and hygiene solutions across industrial, institutional and healthcare settings. 

What’s the idea behind the contest? K-12 students are invited to design a custom hand soap and sanitizer dispenser. It’s a creative way to prompt children to think about the importance of hand hygiene. 

The contest also sparks young imaginations and inspires students to dream up creative, innovative solutions to better their school community.

Putting tools and resources in teachers’ hands
Fun posters. Flyers. And videos. 


When COVID-19 began to spread, the contest became more relevant than ever. We used social media to reach more teachers and school administrators, encouraging them to get their students involved. 

As well as engaging children with a creative challenge, the program provides teachers with everything they need to educate and inspire their students around hand hygiene. 

Clear and colorful, these resources include posters, flyers and videos and are easily accessible on the Happy Hands Contest website for caregivers to download and put to use. 

Engaging children around hand hygiene
800 students. 24,000 votes. 5 finalists.


In 2020, more than 800 students submitted their designs. Submissions were judged for visual appeal, overall hand hygiene design, creativity and unique design elements. This brief and process gave students valuable insight into how real-life products and services are designed and evaluated.

Five finalists were chosen for each of two grade-level categories and a record number of 24,000 votes were cast to choose the winners.

The designs are helping to make schools healthier
1,000 dispensers for every winning school


The winning schools received a $1,000 donation and, most importantly, up to 1,000 hand soap and sanitizer dispensers featuring the winning design for everyday use in school. These dispensers are a proud celebration of the winning design, while promoting hand hygiene. The winning students also received a $300 gift card, as recognition for their ingenuity. 

Engaging the next generation is key to creating a better, healthier world. What’s next for us? SC Johnson Professional is continually producing new materials and resources for teachers, to educate students about the importance of keeping hands clean and how to protect themselves and others from unnecessary germs. 
Discover the winning designs
Get inspired by the students’ creativity

Take a look at the winning designs at: https://happyhands.scjp.com