High school students in Montgomery County, Maryland, are getting a chance to share videos highlighting roadway safety and the importance of putting that phone down while walking, driving or riding a bike.
The “Heads Up, Phones Down” video contest will give teens a chance to submit a 30-second video promoting pedestrian safety. Students may work in groups or individually to write, shoot and direct a short film.
For individual entries, the grand prize is an Apple Macbook Air. The first runner up gets an Apple Watch, and the second runner up gets a tripod for a mobile phone.
Group prizes can be shared by up to four team members and include Visa gift cards of up to $800 a group.
Students can earn five service learning hours for taking part in the contest. The videos can be in either Spanish or English.
In Montgomery County, teens make up 51% of all underage pedestrian fatalities and are at fault for most pedestrian collisions, according to county data.
According to AAA, new teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults.
The contest is open to all high school students in Montgomery County. Teens can submit a video through March 31.
See the winning entries from the 2022 contest online.
