Trip to Mexico Awaits Winners of Children's Art Contest Sponsored by Verizon and the Mexican Government

DALLAS - Young artists will compete for a trip to Mexico City in the third annual ''Este es mi Mexico'' art contest sponsored by Verizon and the Mexican government. Elementary-school children are invited to create their vision of Mexico.

''Verizon is helping us celebrate the beauty and wonder that is Mexico with the help of American school children,'' said Angela Ruiz, of the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs' office. ''Seeing Mexico through a child's eyes always offers a fresh and interesting perspective. We look forward to hosting the winners in October and showing them Mexico City, the pyramids, museums and Chapultepec Park with Maximillan's Palace.''

Verizon is promoting the contest at 26 Verizon PhoneMarts® in Texas and California and through its Spanish-language magazine, La Voz de la Plaza. La Voz is distributed by Verizon Select Services, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc.

Art contest entries are being accepted at the 42 U.S. Mexican Consulates around the country through May 31. Fourteen winners will be announced July 31.

They will be awarded a fall five-day, four-night trip to Mexico along with a parent or guardian. The young artists will meet Mexican President Vincente Fox and be introduced at a press conference in Mexico City.

''Verizon hopes to forge a close relationship with our neighbor to the south and Americans of Mexican descent through the art contest sponsorship,'' said Ed Miller, Verizon, director of long-distance diversity marketing. ''We've been overwhelmed each year by requests from the Hispanic community for the calendars. Verizon is proud to help promote the contest and the children's artwork through our PhoneMarts.''

Winning entries from last year's contest included the native beauty of its landscape and people. The winning works are showcased in a 2001 calendar that hangs in the 42 U.S. Mexican Consulates and in many Verizon PhoneMarts, for new long-distance customers.

More than 8,000 children entered the contest last year.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with nearly 109 million access line equivalents and more than 27.5 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com

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