Time to GET CREATIVE and SPEAK OUT about the #1 KILLER of YOUNG PEOPLE
WIN A SHARE OF $27,000!
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Create Real Impact Contest
Video and Graphic Design
Social Media Campaign
The Create Real Impact Contest calls on students, ages 14-22, to showcase their solutions and strategies to stop the #1 killer of young people–car crashes caused by reckless and distracted driving.
Students submit one entry into one of two categories: Video or Graphic Design. Get local community champions involved, such as your local first responder agencies and elected officials, for another chance to win in the Community Champions Bonus Points category.
Impact Teen Drivers invites high schools to create original social media campaigns showcasing SOLUTIONS to the very real problem of distracted driving. Include a 30-second PSA video in your social media campaign to empower your community to help stop distracted driving!
We can’t wait to see your creative and positive solutions and strategies for ending distracted driving and how you get your community involved in helping to stop preventable car crashes!
CREATE REAL IMPACT CONTEST DATES
Contest Opens: October 17, 2022 at 12:01 A.M. (ET)
Registration Closes: April 10, 2023 at 11:59 P.M. (ET)
Contest Closes: April 27, 2023 at 5:00 P.M. (ET)
About
The Create Real Impact Contest is your chance to make a positive difference in your community and help stop reckless and distracted driving! Join Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) in our mission to stop the number one killer of teens–car crashes.
High School Social Media Campaign Category: A group of high school students, working with a teacher or advisor, are eligible to win an educational grant for their school by creating a social media campaign to share with their school and the wider community. Win up to $10,000 for the school! The social media campaign must include at least one :30 PSA video.
High School Social Media Campaign Category Prizes
$10,000, $5,000, and $2,500
Video and Graphic Design Category: Individual students may enter one :30 video PSA OR one graphic design into the Create Real Impact Contest for a chance to win an educational grant for themselves!
Video Category Prizes
$1,000, $500, and $250
Graphic Design Category Prizes
$1,000, $500, and $250
Community Champions Bonus Points Category: Individual students who have submitted a video or a graphic design can compete to win additional educational grant money by working with local community champions, such as first responders and elected officials, to post their entry or official ITD content to the community champion’s official social media platform or newsletter.
Community Champions Bonus Points Category Prizes
$1,500, $1,000, and $500
Positive Community Norming
Amplify the positive behaviors and beliefs of drivers and passengers that are already taking place, rather than focusing solely on risky behaviors. For example, a positive community norms approach would state “94% of young people agree that passengers are a distraction while driving” rather than “We all drive distracted and it needs to stop.”
Expand the Messaging
We also encourage participants to go beyond addressing just phone-use; behind the wheel distractions include texting and talking on the phone, but also applying make-up, messing around with friends, adjusting the GPS or radio/shuffling the playlist, eating or drinking, or anything that takes your attention away from the task of driving!
Safety First, and Keep It Positive
Focus on SOLUTIONS, not just the problems of reckless and distracted driving. Demonstrate those solutions in your high school’s campaign or your individual entry! All videos, graphic designs, and social media posts must show safety features being used, including seat belts. Please do not show crash scenes, blood, or other scare tactics.
FAQs
Video and Graphic Design FAQs
Can I enter the same entry from last year/last contest?
No. Entries must be unique and original for every contest. Please use your previous entry as an inspiration to make something new- maybe try a new focus or a new category!
How does the Community Champions Bonus Points category work? I am entering as an individual student.
We love to see students activating their community with traffic safety messages! Please read the Official Rules for complete details. You will reach out to organizations and elected officials to ask them to share your Video or Graphic Design entry on their official social media or communication account. Sorry, posts made by individuals on personal accounts are NOT accepted.
I received a rejection email and want to re-submit a new entry/I made a spelling error and want to edit my entry.
Please send us an email with your entry number. Once received, we will remove your previous entry and email you that the old entry has been removed. At that time, you may log in to your Create Real Impact account and upload your new entry. Everything must be re-submitted before the end of the contest.
Can I be a bonus points winner and a grand prize winner?
Yes! Community Bonus Points winners are solely determined by community engagement. Our panel of judges solely determines the Grand Prize winners.
Can I enter more than one category/more than one entry?
There is only 1 entry per person, per contest allowed. That is either a Video or a Graphic Design. If you are a student working with a teacher/advisor/mentor for the high school social media campaign category, you ARE eligible to compete as an individual student as well, in either the Video or the Graphic Design category.
My friend is collaborating with me. Can the award be in both of our names?
Impact Teen Drivers will not split awards and will not award entries registered under more than one name. If your entry is selected for an award, the grant check will be made out to the name it was registered under.
Can I have a friend work on the entry with me?
Yes, you may collaborate on your entry! Please note, the entry needs to be registered under one name and cannot be submitted again under the other name. If your entry is selected as a prize winner, the grant check will be made out to the registered person’s name and it will be up to the two of you to decide how to fairly split the award.
How do I register for this contest?
Make an account here. Only individual students need to make an account. Teachers/mentors/advisors working on a high school social media campaign do NOT need to make an account.
I’m not sure if I am eligible to enter this contest. Who is eligible?
Please see the Official Rules to see who is eligible to enter this contest.
Social Media Campaign FAQs
How does the Community Champions Bonus Points category work for the high school category?
High schools participating in the Social Media Campaign category are NOT eligible for Community Champions Bonus Points. That category is reserved for individual students participating in Video or Graphic Design.
What is Positive Community Norming and how can we use it in our entry?
Positive Community Norming is an approach to changing attitudes and behaviors that focuses on the positive behaviors already taking place in a community. So, in your entry, instead of saying “All teens text and drive, but you shouldn’t!” a more effective approach would be to use the CDC statistic that 61% of teens don’t text while driving! In reality, most students make the safe choice, and we can encourage more teens to join the crowd!
How will our campaign be judged?
Social media campaigns will be judged using a multi-factored scoring rubric, provided in the Program Agreement, Submission Guidelines, and Scoring Rubric.
When will the winners be announced?
Winners will be announced no later than May 26, 2023.
How do teachers or advisors submit the highlight video and social media campaign?
The publicly viewable YouTube link for the highlight video and the publicly viewable Google Drive folder with social media campaign components must be submitted via [email protected] on or before the closing date of the Just Drive contest: April 27, 2022, by 5:00 P.M. (ET).
When does the contest begin and end?
The contest is open from October 17, 2022 to April 27, 2022, at 5:00 P.M. (ET). Schools need to register by April 10, 2022 11:59 P.M. (ET) to participate.
How many students can participate in the contest?
This is up to the teacher or advisor. There is no minimum or maximum number of students required.
What’s the deadline and what do we need?
The deadline for submitting your campaign highlight video and press release is April 27, 5:00 P.M. ET. Please see the Participation Agreement, Submission Guidelines, and Scoring Rubric for info on all you need to include in your social media campaign!
When can we begin to work on our campaign?
Once you receive confirmation that your school is registered and eligible to enter the contest, your team can begin the action planning portion of the project. Start researching the topic, decide the roles and responsibilities of the student team members, and start reaching out to other community groups to partner with you.
We are registering our school for the high school social media campaign. Do I also need to make an account on the website?
No! Only individual students competing in the Video and Graphic Design categories need to make an account on the website.
What happens after a teacher or advisor registers?
Teachers/advisors/mentors will receive an email from Impact Teen Drivers to confirm registration and eligibility to enter the contest. It is the responsibility of the teacher/advisor to contact Impact Teen Drivers at [email protected] if they have not received confirmation of registration within three (3) business days.
How do I know if my students and I are eligible to enter the contest?
Please see the Official Rules to see who is eligible to enter this contest. Teachers or advisors will be able to work with high school students from traditional public, charter, private, and other approved high schools that are recognized and can be verified by the appropriate state’s Department of Education. Other public agencies (e.g., first responders and health professionals) may partner with a verifiable school and will be approved on a case-by-case basis.
Past Winner Profiles
Rules
Work with a teacher or school-approved advisor or mentor to register your high school for the high school social media campaign contest as well!
- Register and make an account. You will choose either “Video” or “Graphic Design” from the dropdown menu in the registration form.
- Upload your entry into your profile, and complete your profile. Remember, your entry must be original for this contest period and you may enter either a Video or a Graphic Design.
- Your entry will be approved within 72 hours of upload. After approval, your entry will be publicly viewable, and you’ll be able to share your entry!
- If your entry needs edits or does not meet the contest requirements, an Impact Teen Drivers staff member will get in contact with you.
- Get your community involved! Participate in the Community Champions Bonus Points category for another chance to win. More information on the Community Champions Bonus Points category is in the Official Rules.
- Get your school involved and win up to $10,000 for your school! Work with a teacher or advisor and a group of your peers to create a social media campaign category. The teacher or approved advisor must register the school. Check out the Agreement & Guidelines and the Official Rules for more information on the social media campaign category.
- Contest closes April 27, 2023 at 5:00 P.M. (ET), so all entries and any Community Champions Bonus Points information/pictures/screenshots must be submitted by that time.
Only teachers or school-approved advisors or mentors may register a high school for the high school social media campaign contest.
- Register your high school no later than April 10, 2023, 11:59 P.M. (ET).
- Teachers, advisors, and mentors will receive an email from Impact Teen Drivers to confirm eligibility for the contest within three business days of registration. If you do not receive an email confirming your registration within three business days, please email [email protected].
- Start the campaign action planning process with your students. Your social media campaign must include:
- At least one 30-second PSA video
- At least five social media posts
- A press release you share with at least one local news outlet or community information organization
- Make sure your project meets ALL requirements for your category. Requirements are listed in the Create Real Impact Contest Participation Agreement, Submission Guidelines, and Scoring Rubric. Of course, you will have already read those once before reaching this step. Go ahead and reread the Rules and the Agreement, Guidelines, and Rubric anyway!
- While extremely dangerous and highly illegal, being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving is NOT the focus of this contest. Entries focused on drinking alcohol or using drugs and driving WILL NOT be accepted.
- Implement your campaign, including distributing your press release to a local news outlet or community information organization. Keep proof that your press release was shared. Your highlight video should show how your local community was engaged and involved!
- Email a publicly viewable YouTube link to your highlight video and a publicly viewable Google Drive folder with your campaign components by the contest closing date, April 27, 2023, at 5:00 P.M. (ET) to [email protected].
Registration
All previous Create Real Impact Contest student participants must create a new account. Your previous account is no longer available.