🚬 Smoking in front of a ‘No Smoking’ sign? Dua Lipa's March 2025 photos are a striking example of how cigarettes appear in celebrity culture. ASH Wales' research found no identified tobacco partnership. So when does smoking become part of the aesthetic — and why does that matter?
RESEARCH ALERT
Some vapes use added chemicals to create a cold or icy feeling. New research has raised concerns about three of them: WS-23, WS-3 and WS-5. We do not yet know how common they are in Wales.
More than half of Welsh adults who have heard of vapes wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking or worse, new ASH Wales YouGov findings show.
A new UK excise duty on vaping products starts today, 1 October 2026. Here is what the £2.20 per 10ml duty, new vape duty stamps and higher tobacco duty mean in Wales.
SAFETY ALERT
UK Trading Standards tested 76 vapes sold as nicotine-free. Ten contained nicotine. This does not mean one in ten nicotine-free vapes across the UK contains nicotine.
ON OUR RADAR
UK law was written broadly enough to cover possible future nicotine products such as gels, creams and nasal inhalers. We have not confirmed that these are established consumer products in Wales or the UK.
Got an idea for a new Nicofiend? Children and young people under 18 across Wales can turn a pressure, feeling or influence into their own made-up creature. It could be something like fitting in, boredom, stress, hype or cravings. The Nicofiend is the pressure, never a real person. Older entrants can explore themes linked to smoking, vaping or nicotine, and younger children can take part through the Feelings Monster activity.
A Nicofiend is a character that represents a pressure, feeling, message or trick that can make smoking, vaping or nicotine seem normal, tempting, harmless or difficult to question.
Deadline: Friday 4th December 2026
Who can enter: Young people under 18 across Wales
Prize: Twelve winning ideas will become official Nicofiends for our 2027 campaign. Each winner will receive a Nicofiends card game, certificate and voucher.
Turn a pressure, feeling, message or trick linked to smoking, vaping or nicotine into your own Nicofiend character.
Think about something that could pull someone in.
Draw, paint, collage, craft or create it digitally.
Add one short line explaining what it represents.
Need an idea? Think fitting in, curiosity, stress, hype, marketing, something seen online, or something you have spotted yourself.
Templates are optional. Plain paper is absolutely fine.
For younger children aged 4 to 7 The Feelings Monster sheet offers a simpler way to take part. Children can create a character based on a feeling, choice or situation and think about who they could ask for help.
Winning ideas will be professionally brought to life, made into official Nicofiends playing cards and featured in the 2027 campaign.
Upload one entry below. Schools and groups can send entries individually or share a folder containing a batch.
Keep it original. Entries must be the young person’s own work. Generative AI, copied characters and brand logos cannot be used.
The Nicofiends Competition is run by ASH Wales. Questions can be sent to communications@ashwales.org.uk .
The competition is open to children and young people under 18 who live in Wales, or attend a school, youth group, community setting or home education setting in Wales.
Entries must be submitted with permission from a parent, carer, teacher, youth worker or responsible adult.
Children of ASH Wales staff, trustees or volunteers may enter. If a conflict of interest arises during judging, the relevant person will not take part in judging that entry.
Entrants should create one original Nicofiend character.
For older entrants, the character should bring to life a pressure, feeling, message or trick linked to smoking, vaping or nicotine.
Younger children may use the Feelings Monster activity to create a character based on a feeling, choice or situation and think about who they could ask for help.
Entries can be drawn, painted, collaged, crafted or created digitally.
Official entry sheets are optional. Original artwork created on plain paper is welcome.
Entries can be submitted through the online form. Schools, youth groups and community settings can submit one entry at a time or share a WeTransfer, Google Drive, OneDrive or shared-folder link.
Postal entries are accepted by request.
Each entry should include:
Do not include the young person’s surname, address, phone number or other personal details in the artwork.
The closing date is Friday 4th December 2026. Entries received after the closing date may not be judged.
There will be 12 winners from across Wales. Judges will take each young person’s age and developmental stage into account.
Each winner’s idea will be professionally developed into an official Nicofiend character and Nicofiends playing card for the 2027 campaign.
Every winner will receive a gift voucher, a pack of Nicofiends playing cards and a certificate.
Voucher values will be confirmed before winners are announced. Prizes are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
Entries will be judged by ASH Wales staff and invited partners on:
The judges’ decision is final.
Winners will be contacted through the adult contact email supplied with the entry.
ASH Wales aims to contact winners within 30 days of the closing date. If a winner cannot be reached after reasonable attempts, ASH Wales may select another winner.
By submitting an entry, the responsible adult gives ASH Wales permission to view, judge and store it for the purpose of running the competition.
The 12 winning ideas will be professionally developed into official Nicofiends characters and playing cards for use in the 2027 campaign and beyond.
Winning entries may be photographed, scanned, reproduced, translated, published, adapted, redrawn and developed for Nicofiends cards, resources, campaign materials and promotional content.
The finished Nicofiend or playing card may differ from the original entry. ASH Wales may change colours, wording, names, clothing, poses, card symbols or game effects so the idea fits the Nicofiends illustration style, educational messages, card format and game rules.
ASH Wales may work with designers, illustrators, campaign partners or suppliers to develop selected entries.
A child’s surname, address, phone number or personal contact details will not be published.
A winner’s first name, age or year group, and school or group will only be published where the responsible adult has given permission.
Entries must be the young person’s own original work. Generative AI tools must not be used to create, write, edit or alter any part of the entry.
Standard non-generative tools in Canva, PowerPoint, drawing apps and photo-scanning apps are allowed.
Entries must not contain copyrighted characters, logos, brand names, images or artwork owned by someone else without permission.
Entries must not contain offensive, discriminatory, unsafe or inappropriate content. ASH Wales may reject entries that do not follow these rules.
ASH Wales will use the information supplied to manage entries, judge the competition, contact entrants and winners, arrange prizes and manage campaign permissions.
Personal data will be handled in line with the ASH Wales Privacy Policy and kept only for as long as needed for these purposes.
ASH Wales may make changes if something outside its control affects the running of the competition. Updated information will be published on the competition page.
ASH Wales is not responsible for entries that are lost, delayed, damaged, incomplete, corrupted or not received for technical reasons.
Entrants are responsible for checking that uploaded files and shared links work and can be accessed by ASH Wales.
Entry is free. By submitting an entry, the person submitting it confirms that they accept these terms and conditions.
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Questions can be sent to communications@ashwales.org.uk .