Montgomery County Sponsors COVID-19 Vaccine Public Service Announcement Contest for Middle and High School Students

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 14, 2021

Montgomery County middle and high school students are invited to produce video public service announcements (PSAs) to encourage community youth to talk with their friends about the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The “Take Your Shot” contest invites students to produce 30- to 45-second videos exploring one of the following themes:

• Why should everyone get the COVID-19 vaccine?
• What makes you want to get vaccinated?
• When people, like us, get vaccinated, we can …

Judges will select up to 25 videos, in both English and Spanish, and use them on the County’s social media channels. Three high school, and three middle school videos will be awarded prizes in early summer.

“With vaccination rates starting to fall and the demand for appointments tapering off, the County has begun focusing its vaccine communication efforts on younger residents,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Peer-to-peer communication is crucial and young people know better than we do how to be persuasive with one another. We believe students will hear and respond better to messages created by fellow students.”

The contest launches today, May 14, and the deadline for submission of videos is Friday, June 4. Contest rules and entry forms are posted on the County’s Volunteer Center website. Public, private, and home-schooled students are encouraged to enter.

The contest is sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools. Students can earn five Student Service Learning hours for submitting an entry that meets all requirements.

For more information, email Lynn Cook at lynn.cook@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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Release ID: 21-358
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6507