The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Ad Council are sponsoring a video contest as part of the ‘What a Difference a Friend Makes’ campaign.

The video contest, – which begins Thursday, July 15 and continues through Sunday, August 15 – is seeking out an engaging, short video that will help generate an online buzz for ‘What a Difference a Friend Makes’. The campaign aims to help educate individuals, friends, families and communities on the importance of supporting our friends who are living with a mental illness. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov or www.adcouncil.org.

Contest submissions will need to demonstrate a creative and fun way to help a friend during a tough time in their life. The video stories may be based on real-life experiences or fictional situations. The contest does not require that the identities of those involved in any videos be revealed.

The contest’s first-place winner, which will be announced on September 15, will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two to the annual Voice Awards gala on Wednesday, October 13 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Calif., where the winning video will be showcased. Prizes, such as Flip cameras, will also be awarded to the contest’s runners-up.

This entry is filed under News.