Carol Cain: Courageous Persuaders Seeks Videos About Underage Drinking Dangers

By Carol Cain
Senior Producer and Host
WWJ-TV CBS Detroit's "Michigan Matters"

The Detroit Auto Dealers Association Education Foundation is seeking entries for the annual Courageous Persuaders video competition for high school students to talk about the dangers of underage drinking that will result in scholarship dollars and recognition for winning entries.

The Courageous Persuaders competition invites high school students from across the country to create a 30-second television commercial about the dangers of underage drinking. Those videos are targeted towards middle school-aged children.

 The winning entries will be aired on television and via streaming video on courageouspersuaders.com. They will also be featured  in Secretary of State branch offices across Michigan.

 The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in May.

 Entries are being accepted through Thursday, Feb. 9.

The Courageous Persuaders program was started in 2000 by Oakland County District Judge Michael Martone and John Barczyk, a local advertising executive.

 In 2007, the DADA became the primary sponsor through its DADA Education Foundation. Last year, the contest drew 514 entries from 898 students in 38 states.

DADA President Bob Shuman announced that Courageous Persuaders' longtime partner, State Farm Insurance, will offer a new Fan Favorite Award, determined through independent votes on videos posted on a dedicated YouTube channel.

That award, a $2,500 cash prize, will be presented to the classroom of the school that produced the video that garners the most votes.

"This entire competition is a great demonstration of the creativity of our young people, and at the same time, an important tool in combatting the dangers of underage drinking," said Shuman.

  Great Pretenders' 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
• Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Award; $2,000
• Wall Street Journal Award: $2,000 - chosen among the most persuasive commercials, as judged by middle school students
• State Farm Insurance: $1,000 - awarded to a Michigan-based entry on the dangers of drinking and driving
• College for Creative Studies Award: $250 - based on the creativity of the commercial
• Wall Street Journal Courageous Leader Award - presented to a special teacher for his or her extraordinary support of the Courageous Persuaders program

• Adcraft Club of Detroit Award: $2,000 - presented to the commercial that conveyed factual information about the dangers of alcohol use

Winners are selected through  several rounds of judging.

During the first round, a panel from the DADA views the entries and identifies the top 60 finalists. 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 2012 competition, visit   CourageousPersuaders.com, or call 248.283.5138 .