Winner Announced in “Spread the Word, Not the Virus,” Student PSA Contest

Still from the winning PSA “A Vintage COVID-19 PSA” - Created by Emily Kucharczyk — Still from the winning PSA “A Vintage COVID-19 PSA” – Created by Emily Kucharczyk

AdkAction is pleased to announce the winning video of its student COVID-19 Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest and $1000 Grand Prize.

The contest, which was open to all middle and high school students in New York, garnered 53 entries from every corner of the state, sharing students’ advice based on CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Students uploaded their video submissions online through Launchpad, a digital film contest platform donated by Skills21 at EdAdvance, an educational nonprofit based in Connecticut. Submissions were judged based on a scoring rubric by a panel of educators, nonprofit leaders and video production professionals.

The winning PSA “A Vintage COVID-19 PSA” was created by Emily Kucharczyk of New Paltz High School. “When I heard about the project from my teacher, I had a vision of the shot where I held up a bottle of cleaning spray, I just saw the vintage theme in my head and went with it,” Emily said. “I love the creative freedom that comes with making movies – it’s one of the best ways to express your art.”

In addition to a cash prize of $1,000, the winning entry will be showcased on television and at the Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival on Friday, June 4th, 2021.

“Our annual Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival empowers students by offering them a platform and an audience for their creative expression. By running this PSA contest in advance of the festival, we were able to give students a timely opportunity to promote public health while advancing their filmmaking skills,” said Brittany Christenson, Executive Director of AdkAction.

This year’s Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival will also be open to entrants across the state. Submissions will be accepted from February 10 through April 23, 2021 at www.adkaction.org/project/student-film-festival for the June 4th festival.

“With the addition of the COVID-19 PSA challenge offered to students throughout the state of NY, not only have we reached a new level of exposure, we have upped the game for the students within the Adirondack Park,” noted Wendy Cross, Tupper Lake Central School District art teacher and co-organizer of Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival. “I believe regional students will see this increased level of competition as a motivator to create well-planned, compelling films for the Spring Festival!”

The winning entry in the PSA contest, and three Honorable Mention finalists who will each receive a $100 prize, can be watched at AdkAction.org/psa.