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Bridgestone is launching its third annual Safety Scholars Video Contest as part of the company’s “ongoing commitment to automotive safety education,” plus the “incredible popularity and success of the program” in past years.
Targeted to drivers ages 16 to 21, Safety Scholars is a contest in which entrants create short auto safety-themed videos. This year another topic – automotive environmentalism – has been made available to extend the message of Bridgestone’s “One Team, One Planet” global environmental initiative.
Based on the success of past Safety Scholars contests, the company is again looking to American teenagers and young adults for their ideas and insights regarding behind-the-wheel safety and environmentally conscious use of their vehicles.
The winners of the 2008 competition were on hand at the Chicago Auto Show to present their videos to a group of automotive journalists and enthusiasts from around the country. Danny Belkin, Ryan Massey, Angela Roscioli and Sarah Wilson utilized first-person accounts, dramatic narratives and other creative formats to deliver powerful messages about auto safety.
Each winner received a $5,000 college scholarship and a set of new tires; several Safety Scholars videos are now being aired – in a partnership with the Bridgestone-sponsored Driver’s Edge teen driving program – as public service announcements on television stations across the United States.
“Car crashes claim the lives of more 16- to 21-year-olds than any other cause, so safety education is a priority for us,” says Christine Karbowiak, Bridgestone’s vice president of community and corporate relations.
“Environmental responsibility is equally important to the company, which led us to include that topic in this year’s contest. Safety Scholars is an innovative and engaging platform that allows us to communicate our commitment to both issues,” she adds.
Throughout 2008 there were 2.4 million hits on the contest site, safetyscholars.com; 103,220 video viewings on YouTube; 10,362 online votes tallied and 620 videos entered.
“We’re proud Safety Scholars is a contest for teens, by teens, and we can’t wait to see this year’s creative entries,” Karbowiak says.
Under this year’s rules, the videos must be 25 or 55 seconds in length. The first 300 submissions will be accepted May 27 through June 17 at safetyscholars.com.
A panel of judges will select 10 finalists based on how well the production compels viewers to be more safety- or eco-conscious when using their vehicles and how well the project effectively and creatively communicates its message.
The 10 finalist videos will be posted on safetyscholars.com in addition to YouTube, MySpace and Facebook on June 25. The general public will then select grand prize winners through online voting at safetyscholars.com, where the official rules with complete entry, eligibility and prize details are posted.
Votes will be tallied and the grand prize-winning videos will be announced July 23 at the site. In order to make videos easily accessible to young drivers across the country, the winning entries will also be posted on tiresafety.com and other Internet locations.
In addition to the Safety Scholars program, Bridgestone has invested in an array of driving and tire safety education initiatives specifically targeted at young drivers, according to Karbowiak. The company is the presenting national sponsor of Driver’s Edge, a hands-on safe driving course offered free of charge to teenagers in select U.S. cities.
Bridgestone has also aired a series of tire safety public service announcements featuring Mario Andretti, the legendary racer and a Firestone spokesman. Andretti has toured the country talking to students about auto and tire safety, encouraging the young drivers to learn their MARIOs (Mario Andretti’s Real Information on Safety). The company has distributed more than 40,000 MARIO safety booklets to teens across the nation.
For more information, visit www.bridgestoneamericas.com.
