Deadline Approaching: Over $25,000 in Scholarship Awards Available Through Courageous Persuaders Competition

TROY, Mich., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Education Foundation reminds students and teachers that the deadline for entry into the Courageous Persuaders video competition is February 8, 2019. The announcement was made by DADA President Joe Lunghamer.

"This high school competition awards creativity and persuasiveness," said Lunghamer.  "This is a great opportunity for peer-to-peer influence and education, where high school students learn while creating, and their clever and interesting videos positively impact the lives of children."

Courageous Persuaders offers over $25,000 in scholarship awards and is a competition-based scholarship program that invites high school students to create a 30-second commercial about the dangers of underage drinking or the dangers of texting while driving. The commercials are targeted toward middle school-aged children, with the winning entries aired on television and via streaming video on CourageousPersuaders.com. The Michigan Department of State also shows the winning commercials in select Secretary of State (SOS) branch offices. The winners will be announced at a gala Awards Celebration to be held in May. 

In 2018 the contest drew 632 entries from 225 high schools, and has involved over 900 students from 40 states across the U.S. and from British Columbia. Nearly 1,100 middle school students viewed and evaluated the videos as part of the judging process.

Winning entries are eligible for the following scholarship awards:

Dangers of Underage Drinking and Driving:

• Grand Prize: $3,000
• First Place: $2,000
• Second Place: $1,000
• Third Place: $500

Dangers of Texting While Driving:

• Detroit Auto Dealers Association: $2,000
• Courageous Persuaders: $1,000

Additionally, Courageous Persuaders partners present:

• State Farm Fan Favorite Award: $3,500. Determined through independent votes in April 2018, a $2,500 award will be presented to the classroom of the school that produced the video that garners the most votes, and a $1,000 award will be awarded to the student.
• Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Fund Award: $3,000. Two $1,500 Michigan-based awards are donated by Lindsey's father, Michael, her sisters, Allie and Mary Cianciolo and friends of Michael. Lindsey died on January 5, 2005 at the age of 20 in a motor vehicle accident which was largely caused by underage drinking.
• Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Award: $2,000. DADA, the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders program through its DADA Education Foundation, will also provide a $2,000 scholarship on the dangers of underage drinking.
• Adcraft Club of Detroit Award: $2,000. The Adcraft Club award is presented to the student(s) whose commercial best conveys factual information about the dangers of underage drinking.
• Michelin Award: $2,000. The Michelin award is presented to the student whose video commercial best illustrates the dangers of underage drinking and its effects on driving.
• Harold and Carolyn Robison Foundation Award: $2,000. The Harold and Carolyn Robison Foundation award presented to Michigan-only high school student(s) whose commercial focuses on the dangers of texting while driving.
• State Farm Insurance: $1,000. State Farm will select the winning commercial based on persuasiveness and creativity on the dangers of distractive driving.
• Oakland University Award: $500. Oakland University Award is presented to a Michigan-only high school student(s) whose commercial focuses on the dangers of texting while driving.
• College for Creative Studies (CCS) Award: $250. The CCS award is chosen based on the cognition, creativity, and craftsmanship of the commercial.
• Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Courageous Leader Award. The WSJ Courageous Leader Award is presented to a teacher for his or her extraordinary support of the Courageous Persuaders program.

For more information regarding Courageous Persuaders, including 2018 winning commercials or details on the overall competition, please visit the website.

The Courageous Persuaders program was created in 2000 by the late Oakland County District Judge Michael A. Martone and John Barczyk, a retired local McCann-Erickson advertising executive.  In 2007, the DADA Education Foundation became the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders.

About the DADA Education Foundation
The mission of the DADA Education Foundation is to promote excellence in education through quality programs and leadership.

About Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA)
The DADA was founded in 1907 by 17 local car dealers, and has grown to more than 220 member car and truck dealers who donate their time and resources to a host of community activities. Currently, the DADA members collectively employ more than 16,500 people. Many members participate in the NAIAS, LLC, which is responsible for the production of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). To find out more about Detroit Auto Dealers Association, visit dada.org. To find out more about the NAIAS, visit naias.com.

SOURCE Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA)