2023 ASIRT Road Safety PSA Contest - Submit Video by October 8, 2023

Who can enter?

Montgomery County Public School middle school and high school students (grades 6-12) 

Students may work independently or in a small team of no more than three.

What is a PSA?

PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. PSAs serve to raise attention and awareness of an issue in effort to change behavior. In this instance, a PSA on road safety is intended to help save lives. PSAs may include live action dramatizations, animations, and video and audio clips. PSAs are not slide show presentations (like PowerPoint).

Contest Timeline

The contest will be open from Monday, August 7 - Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

PSA Message

“Step Up For Road Safety” - PSA videos should inspire or help road users make safe road choices. The goal is to have zero injuries or deaths on the roads. 

Things to consider & include

• Road safety impacts pedestrians, drivers, passengers, cyclists, and scooter riders.
• How can people keep themselves and others safe on the roads?
• This PSA should influence thinking, action, and change behaviors in order to decrease injuries or deaths.
• PSAs should highlight at least one important road safety issue such as texting while driving or walking, drunk driving, not wearing seatbelts or helmets, etc.
• Remember to discuss the consent section on the submission form with your parent or guardian and provide their contact information. 

Audience for PSA

While everyone can learn from the PSA and change their behaviors to be safer, your video should be geared towards middle and high school students.

Video Recording Requirements and Submission Format

Quality videos must:

1. Be 30-45 seconds in length describing a road safety issue.
2. Be submitted in the following formats AND that the link is “Accessible to Anyone:”

• YouTube link 
• .MOV
• .MP4 format

*****Videos must be “accessible to anyone” or they cannot be viewed for consideration for the contest or for SSL hours. If you submit a .MOV or .MP4  with a Google link, please do not use your MCPS Google account. Use your personal Google account.*****

1. Be original student work created after August 7, 2023.
2. Depict the importance of road safety and can include this year’s theme “Step Up for Road Safety.”
3. Show evidence of research (sharing facts on the issue(s), data on impact, safety precautions, etc.) and be edited for proper spelling and grammar. 
4. For voiceovers and text: Use the term “crash” instead of “accident.” Crashes are preventable while accidents imply no one is responsible for what happens.
5. Show cyclists wearing helmets and drivers and passengers wearing seat belts if your video includes these examples.
6. Include interesting pictures, graphics, or video examples.
7. Include one of the following ASIRT logos:

• ASIRT logo with vertical text
•  ASIRT logo with horizontal text
  
• ASIRT logo without text
  

1. Not include offensive or illegal content.
2. Not include copyrighted, trademarked or branded content. If including music, it must be from a copyright-free resource.*
3. Close with a slide or document that identifies the name, grade, and school of all video creators. Reminder: You can create your own PSA video or work in a team of no more than 3 people.

*Entrants are prohibited from using copyrighted materials and are encouraged to visit copyright-free music libraries or work with a school or friends’ band or chorus if any background music is needed. 

SSL Expectations

    In order to earn the full 10 SSL hours, the submission must:

• Submit a PSA video that reflects ALL of the requirements listed above.
• Identify the name, grade, and school of all video creators. 

Reminder: You can create your own PSA video or work in a team of no more than 3 people.

    The ASIRT team will review all submissions and identify those who have met all of the submission requirements for SSL credit. 

    SSL hours will be applied to SSL records by mid-November. This allows the ASIRT team to review each for the contest and for SSL credit. This also allows MCPS to apply the awarded hours to the student SSL record.

2022 Winning Videos

Middle School Winners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp0j52gI9Ws&ab_channel=ASIRTravel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMUtLmUikzU&ab_channel=ASIRTravel

High School Winners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTthEZ0vqOk&ab_channel=ASIRTravel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luY6Evc9MGA&ab_channel=ASIRTravel

Where do I submit?

To submit an entry: https://bit.ly/ASIRTPSA2023

This form will close on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. 

Prizes

1^st prize           $150 Amazon gift card
2^nd prize          $100 Amazon gift card

Prizes will be awarded for middle and high school categories. Winners will be notified on October 26th and highlighted during the ASIRT Annual Gala on November 15th. Winners and their families will be invited to attend the Gala.