The contest is an opportunity for colleges and universities to demonstrate how students are working to prevent alcohol and other drug misuse on their campus, and to inspire and challenge others to act to prevent alcohol and other drug misuse among college students.

Institutions of higher education that offer an associate’s or bachelor’s degree are eligible. Previous winners under this contest must wait one year before entering the contest again.

The contest begins on September 9, 2024, and ends on November 4, 2024 (referred to as the Entry Period throughout the rest of these rules). Entries must be submitted within the Entry Period to be eligible. Any entry received outside of these dates will be disqualified.

During the Entry Period, visit www.campusdrugprevention.gov/psacontest and click on the “Submit My Entry” button. This will direct you to a brief form to complete and a place to upload your video link. To submit your video, you need to upload it to your own YouTube or Vimeo account first, and then provide a link to your video in the entry form. Note: Only one entry per college or university is allowed, submitted by a college or university staff or faculty member, and entrant’s e-mail address must end in .edu. The online form will require the entrant to confirm they are a staff member or faculty member and ask for their title.

By submitting your video PSA (entry), you agree that your entry is eligible (see “What is an Eligible Entry?”) and conforms to the content restrictions (see “What are the Content Restrictions?”). Submitting your entry also implies consent to the contest’s sponsors to use the entry as appropriate, regardless of its selection as one of the contest’s winners. The contest’s sponsors, at their sole discretion, may disqualify your entry from the contest if they believe it fails to conform to these official rules.

To be eligible for judging, an entry must meet the following content and technical requirements:

• The PSA must be between 30–60 seconds. PSAs that exceed 60 seconds will be disqualified.
• The PSA must focus on the underlying message behind Red Ribbon Week and the commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
• The PSA must include the mandatory end frame provided by DEA here.
• The PSA must focus on preventing alcohol and other drug misuse among college students. Entries that focus only on alcohol misuse or only on drug misuse will be disqualified.
• The PSA must inspire others to prevent alcohol and other drug misuse among college students.
• The entry must be uploaded to the entrant’s own YouTube or Vimeo account and a link to the video must be provided as part of the entry.
• The entry cannot be previously submitted in a promotion of any kind, or exhibited or displayed publicly through any means.
• Entrants must obtain all applicable consents, approvals, or licenses to submit their entry.

Each entry is judged by a panel of objective reviewers, comprised of federal government staff and a college student, who will evaluate and score the entry. Each entry will receive a score from 0-100 depending on how well it responds to the following criteria.

Appropriateness of Message (50 points)

• The PSA focuses on the underlying message behind Red Ribbon Week and the commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
• The PSA demonstrates how college students are working to prevent alcohol and other drug misuse on their campus.
• The PSA inspires and challenges others to prevent alcohol and other drug misuse among college students.

Creativity and Originality (30 points)

• The PSA exhibits creativity in its design and execution.
• The PSA exhibits original ideas, concepts, and content.
• The PSA is memorable, relevant, and interesting.

Production Value (20 points)

• The PSA is visually strong and appealing.
• The video quality is high resolution and the graphics are legible.
• The audio quality is balanced and audible.

The winners are notified by DEA via e-mail on or around December 9, 2024. The winner will be required to submit the video file in a QuickTime/MOV, WMV, MPEG, or AVI format, as well as sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability, and Publicity Release. The winners also need to provide a brief description of how they intend to use the award funds in support of their campus’s efforts to prevent drug misuse.

If any winner cannot be contacted, fails to complete and return the affidavit within the required timeframe, and/or does not comply with these official rules, that winner will forfeit their prize. If any winner is disqualified for any reason, their prize may be awarded to a runner-up, if any, at the contest sponsors’ sole discretion.

Acceptance of the prize shall constitute and signify the winner’s agreement and consent that the contest sponsors and their designees may use the winner’s name, city, state, likeness, entry, and/or prize information in connection with the contest for promotional, advertising, or other purposes, worldwide, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, including the internet, without limitation and without further payment, notification, permission, or other consideration, except where prohibited by law.

Contact Rich Lucey, Senior Prevention Program Manager, Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section, Drug Enforcement Administration, by phone (571-776-3457) or e-mail (richard.lucey@dea.gov).