The contest challenges college students to produce public service announcements (PSAs) that creatively articulate why “Cash is Best” when helping people affected by international disasters. Cash contributions allow relief organizations to purchase exactly what is most urgently needed to help survivors.
The contest is designed to fit in the curriculum of communications, graphic design, digital media and/or advertising classes, though, of course, we welcome anyone who wants to enter. All of last year’s student participants stated that based on their experience, they would recommend participating in the contest to others when surveyed:
“I started studying graphic design because I want to create solutions for effective communication and help people understand and engage with the world,” said Quinn Patterson, 2023 second place static image winner from Arizona State University. “The PSAid contest was one of my first steps on that path, and I’m beyond happy that my work achieved the message I wanted to send.”
Students are encouraged to produce PSAs in any of the below categories, and can enter as a group or individually:
- Static Image – An ad that can appear in a magazine, newspaper, or online Can include a digital ad, social graphic or infographic.
- GIF – a short (10 seconds or less) animated image with no sound.
- Video – must be exactly 15 or 30 seconds in length.
More communications will follow in the Fall, but I want to make you aware of key dates for your spring semester syllabus. Contest submissions will bedue Monday, March 11 and winners will be announcedthe week of April 15. We hope you are interested and able to include it in your plans.
The PSAID website has contest rules and guidelines as well as past winning PSAs, and a video that can be shared with students. Additionally, please find a one-pager with the details here. The PSAid contest provides college students the opportunity to get real world experience surrounding a cause that matters while also providing students with materials for their portfolios. This year’s winning PSAs will be featured in students’ hometown/college papers. Additionally, winning GIF, print, and video PSAs are used by USAID social media channels and also placed in online newspapers across the country.
Recent winning video PSAs aired during NCIS, America’s Got Talent, Young Sheldon, Dateline, Access Hollywood and Chicago Fire. Winning video PSAs have also been seen on various popular streaming services, such as Roku, Amazon and Apple.
More details about the contest and the 2023 winners can be found at PSAid.org. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to learn more.