TROY, Mich., Feb. 4, 2010 - The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Education Foundation is reminding students that the deadline for entry into the Courageous Persuaders video competition is approaching quickly. The deadline for entry is February 10, 2010. The announcement was made by DADA President Bill Perkins.
Courageous Persuaders is a competition-based scholarship program that invites high school students to create a 30-second television commercial about the dangers of underage drinking. The commercials are targeted toward middle school-aged children, with the winning entries aired on television and via streaming video on the www.courageouspersuaders.com Web site. The winning entry will also be shown in select Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) branches.
"This program provides an opportunity for both high school students and middle school students to stop and seriously consider the dangers of underage drinking," said Perkins. "High school students who create the commercials are actively engaged in developing the message, while the middle school students who judge the videos, determining which has the greatest impact, are being positively influenced. The Courageous Persuaders program truly makes a difference by connecting with these young people at a particularly impressionable age, influencing thinking and behavior in an interesting and entertaining way."
The DADA Education Foundation also announced the Awards Celebration will be held at the Troy Marriott on May 18, 2010 and feature a red carpet event, strolling supper and enhanced awards presentation, hosted by Fox 2 News Anchor Huel Perkins.
The Courageous Persuaders program was created in 2000 by Oakland County District Judge Michael A. Martone and John Barczyk, a local McCann-Erickson advertising executive. In 2007, the DADA became the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders program through its DADA Education Foundation. Last year, the contest drew 737 entries from 1,196 students in 42 states.
Winning entries are eligible for the following scholarship awards:
- Grand Prize: $3,000
- First Place: $1,500
- Second Place: $1,000
- Third Place: $500
Additionally, special awards are also presented by Courageous Persuaders partners:
- Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Scholarship: $3,000 - two $1,500 Michigan-based scholarship winners
- Adcraft Club of Detroit Award: $2,000 - presented to the commercial that conveyed factual information about the dangers of alcohol use
- New York festivals: $2,000 - chosen based on the commercial's effectiveness to inform and inspire
- USA Today Award: $1,000 - chosen by the USA Today Detroit staff from among the most persuasive commercials, as judged by middle school students
- State Farm Insurance: $1,000 - awarded to a Michigan-based entry
- USA Today Courageous Leader Award - presented to a special teacher for his or her extraordinary support of the Courageous Persuaders program
Winners are selected after several rounds of judging. During the first round, a panel from the DADA views the entries and identifies the top 60 contenders. Those entries are then reviewed by students at middle schools, who complete questionnaires. Results of the questionnaires determine the winners.
To view the winning commercials and/or enter the 2009-2010 competition, visit the Web site at www.courageouspersuaders.com, or contact Sandy Herp at 248.283.5138 or sherp@dada.org.
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