Courageous Persuaders Announces 2004-2005 High School Scholarship Competition.

The fifth annual Courageous Persuaders student ad competition, created by Courage First’s Judge Michael A. Martone and ad agency McCann Erickson’s Detroit office, is kicking off its 2004-2005 program. High school students can create a 30-second television commercial aimed at middle school students to discourage underage alcohol abuse and compete for more than $10,000 in scholarship money. The grand prize-winning commercial will be broadcast on television after the team that created it works with McCann in Detroit to upgrade it for air.

The top prize-winning teams will also receive Courage trophies, award certificates and scholarship money to be split among team members:

* Grand Prize $3,000
* First Place $1,500
* Second Place $1,000
* Third Place $500

USA Today will also award a special $2,000 scholarship. The winning commercial will be chosen by representatives of USA Today from among the most creative and persuasive commercials submitted in this year’s Courageous Persuaders competition.

In addition, a $2,000 Adcrafter Scholarship award will be presented to the Michigan team whose commercial conveys factual information about the dangers of alcohol use in the most persuasive and creative manner. It is funded by a contribution from the Adcraft Club of Detroit, the largest advertising club in the United States.

“Since we started the program in 2001, it has grown in size, expanding from the city of Troy, to the state of Michigan,” said Judge Martone. “It has been an incredible journey for us. Thousands of talented young people have been working with us to tackle the very serious problem of underage alcohol abuse. This year, we hope to involve and impact an even greater number of young people.”

The 2004-05 Courageous Persuaders deadline for entering a commercial is February 28, 2005. Individual students or schools interested in participating should sign up now at http://www.CourageFirst.com or contact the Courage First office at (248) 526-6700, and start making their commercials immediately. Courage First Web site visitors can also view last year’s winning commercials on the site.

“The only equipment a student needs to participate in the competition is the family camcorder or access to school video equipment,” said John Barczyk, senior vice president, group account director at McCann in Detroit. “Judging is based on the persuasiveness of the idea, not the production values, so anyone can win.”

Teachers and students can use music from a vast royalty-free music library provided by one of the world’s leading music companies, Yessian Music in Farmington Hills, Mich. Yessian is making its library available online at no charge, exclusively to high school students participating in the Courageous Persuaders competition. It can be accessed through the CourageFirst.com Web site.

Last year’s Grand Prize-winning spot — “Why Haven’t We Declared War?” — was created by Chris Hutchinson, Kurt Weider and Nathan Taylor from Lahser High School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and is currently airing on television stations.

Judge Michael A. Martone, a nationally recognized advocate against underage drinking, leads the Courage First Foundation. Courageous Persuaders is funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and the U.S. Department of Transportation.