AdkAction is pleased to announce the winning video of its statewide COVID-19 Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest: “A Vintage COVID-19 PSA,” created by Emily Kucharczyk of New Paltz High School.

“When I heard about the project from my teacher, I had a vision of the shot where I held up a bottle of cleaning spray, I just saw the vintage theme in my head and went with it,” Emily said. “I love the creative freedom that comes with making movies — it’s one of the best ways to express your art.”

Watch it here:

The contest, which was open to all middle and high school students in New York, garnered 53 entries from every region of the state, sharing students’ advice based on CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Students uploaded their video submissions online through Launchpad, a digital film contest platform donated by Skills21 at EdAdvance, an educational nonprofit based in Connecticut. Submissions were judged based on a scoring rubric by a panel of educators, nonprofit leaders, and video production professionals.

In addition to a cash prize of $1,000, the winning entry will be showcased on television and at the Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival on Friday, June 4.

“Our annual Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival empowers students by offering them a platform and an audience for their creative expression. By running this PSA contest in advance of the festival, we were able to give students a timely opportunity to promote public health while advancing their filmmaking skills,” said Brittany Christenson, Executive Director of AdkAction.

This year’s Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival will also be open to entrants across the state. Submissions will be accepted from February 10 through April 23, 2021 on the Student Film Festival project page.

More about the PSA project, as well as videos from the runners-up here: https://www.adkaction.org/film-festival/winner-of-the-spread-the-word-not-the-virus-student-video-contest/