2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest

The results are in!

Congratulations to Dr. John Clarke and his video entitled H1N1 Rap by Dr. Clarke.

Out of the over 200 entries submitted, a panel of 12 video communication and public health experts determined the top 10 entries. These were put on the HHS YouTube Channel and put to a public vote. Over 50 thousand votes were cast in the 18 days that voting was open, and these votes determined the overall winner.

Thanks to all who voted and selected the winner.

Create a Flu Video & Be Eligible to Win $2500

Create a 15, 30, or 60 second video Public Service Announcement (PSA) that will inform and motivate people to take steps that will help prevent the spread of the flu. Make your video fun, smart, and entertaining.

To Enter

There are two (2) steps that need to be taken to enter this contest. ** We are no longer accepting new entries **

Produced video should be posted to YouTube as a video response to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ call for contest entries. You will need to have a YouTube account in order to do this. For more information on how to post a video response, go to this YouTube help page.
You also need to be sure to fill out and submit this online form.

Timing

Contest opens July 9, 2009.
Deadline for submissions: 11:59pm EDT, August 17, 2009

Resources

The federal flu Web site, www.flu.gov, is filled with information about protecting yourself and preventing the spread of the flu. These pages in particular may provide ideas:

Video requirements

The Video must be either 15, 30, or 60 seconds in length; and close with a visual mention of www.flu.gov.
You may enter multiple versions (15, 30 and 60 second) of your PSA.
The Video cannot have been submitted previously in a promotion or contest of any kind or exhibited or displayed publicly through any means previously.
The Video must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright or license infringement.
The Video must not contain brand names or trademarks;
The Video must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
The Video must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; and
The Video must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where Video is created.

Screening

We have recently reviewed our screening process and modified it to adhere with the following: Initial screening process moderates videos for adhering to Video Requirements numbers 6 and 7 as shown above. Videos that pass this initial screening do not necessarily adhere to the remaining above video requirements nor are they necessarily entirely accurate.

Winner Selection

Following the deadline for submissions, an HHS panel will judge the videos for accuracy of the information in each video and it’s adherence to the video requirements shown above. NOTE: Entries must be exactly 15, 30 or 60 seconds to pass this screening process. *See our Contest FAQ page for new information on this requirement.

A panel of expert judges will then choose the top ten videos submitted. The top ten videos will then be presented to the YouTube community to vote on which video is the very best.

Judging Criterion

Message and appropriateness to theme (50%)
Creativity (30%)
Entertainment value (20%)

The Prize

One grand prize of $2,500 cash
Top video(s) will be featured on broadcast TV and on government Web sites

Eligibility

Must be US resident, resident of Puerto Rico, or resident of a U.S. territory.
Must be 14 years of age or older
Cannot be, nor have an immediate family member as, an HHS employee, contractor, or grantee.

Sponsor

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
200 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201
www.flu.gov

Questions?

See our PSA Contest FAQ page.

All reporters should send questions to the necessary media office through their normal channels.