FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 1, 2018) – Gov. Matt Bevin’s office on Tuesday announced the winning teams in the “Find Help Now” / “Don’t Let Them Die” marketing challenge, a public service announcement (PSA) competition for Kentucky high school students designed to create awareness about the dangers of opioid use.
Sponsored by the Governor’s Office, the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and WLKY, the contest drew more than two dozen entries from across the commonwealth. Teams were charged with developing an integrated marketing and advertising campaign to bring attention to addiction treatment resources.
“It is exciting to see these students collaborating to address a major challenge facing our commonwealth,” said Interim Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis, who presented ceremonial checks to the winning teams. “By harnessing their technological talents and creative problem solving skills, they are already making a significant impact on their world.”
The 10 finalists, who presented their campaign ideas in Frankfort today, included:
- Graves County High School – GCHS STOP Club
- Green County High School – Students Offering Support (SOS)
- Jessamine County Career & Technology Center
- McCracken County High School – Mustang Media Club
- Model Laboratory High School – Pear
- Rockcastle County High School – Rockets
- Sacred Heart Academy – Fast Clix
- Sacred Heart Academy – Mare Advertising
- Sacred Heart Academy – Markestrella
- Sacred Heart Academy – You Are Not Alone
The top three finishers received individual team awards, and the top five teams will receive cash awards for their schools:
- Sacred Heart Academy – Markestrella (1st Place)
- Green County High School – Students Offering Support (SOS) (2nd Place)
- McCracken County High School – Mustang Media Club (3rd Place)
- Graves County High School – GCHS STOP Club (4th Place)
- Jessamine County Career & Technology Center (5th Place)
The following teams received “best” awards in each individual marketing category:
- Graves County High School – GCHS STOP Club (Best Radio Ad)
- Jessamine County Career & Technology Center (Best Social Media Ad)
- Rockcastle County High School – Rockets (Best Billboard Ad)
- Sacred Heart Academy – Fast Clix (Best Logo Design)
- Sacred Heart Academy – Mare Advertising (Best Television Ad)
WLKY will collaborate with the winning team to incorporate the student marketing and advertising concepts into the commonwealth’s opioid awareness marketing campaign.
“I was extremely impressed with the passion and skill that these young people brought to their projects,” said Andrea Stahlman, news director for WLKY. “They are now equipped with unique insights into not only the marketing and advertising process, but the opioid crisis gripping our state.”
“The student marketing entries showcase the best and brightest of Kentucky students from across the state,” said Dr. Terry Bunn, director of KIPRC. “The student groups presented creative concepts for raising awareness about the dangers of drug addiction, and I look forward to seeing how the winning teams will develop their concepts and leverage their ideas to bring attention to addiction treatment resources like FindHelpNowKY.org and DontLetThemDie.com.”
Launched in 2017, the Governor’s “Don’t Let Them Die” campaign seeks to bring awareness to the opioid crisis. The Commonwealth added a new tool earlier this year — FindHelpNowKY.org — a new website that allows users to search in real-time for a local substance use disorder (SUD) treatment center.
Add Comment