The Biden administration prohibited children from including religious themes on Easter eggs for the 2024 “Celebrating National Guard Families” art contest. The contest, held as part of the White House’s traditional Easter Egg Roll, specifically stated that designs should not contain any “religious symbols” during the Christian holiday.

“The Submission must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes,” the White House stated.

Children of National Guard families were asked to decorate eggs with “a snapshot of their life – a favorite activity, scenery in your state, your military family, a day-in-your life, etc,” according to the White House flyer. The top contenders will be recreated “in real hen eggs by talented egg artists” from across the U.S. and “displayed at the White House this Easter and Passover season.”

Other restrictions include depictions promoting “bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual based on race, gender, religion, nationality disability, sexual orientation or age,” the White House stated. Child participants were also told not to depict “illegal drugs or firearms” or to include “material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous.”

This incident marks another Easter-related controversy during President Joe Biden’s administration. In 2022, an individual dressed as the holiday figure interrupted Biden while he was discussing Afghanistan, gesturing energetically to divert his focus and guiding the bewildered president away from the audience he was speaking to.