Courageous Persuaders Video Competition Entry Deadline Fast Approaching

Courageous Persuaders program harnesses creativity to deliver youth-to-youth message about dangers of underage drinking

TROY, MI - February 1, 2008: The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) is reminding students that the deadline for entry into the Courageous Persuaders program video competition is approaching quickly. The deadline for entry is February 15, 2008. The announcement was made by DADA President Douglass Fox.

Courageous Persuaders is a competition-based scholarship program that invites high school students to create a 30-second television commercial about the dangers of underage drinking. The commercials are targeted toward middle school-aged children, with the winning entries aired on television and via streaming video on the www.courageouspersuaders.com website. Additionally, Michigan's Secretary of State (SOS), the Honorable Terri Lynn Land, announced recently that winning entries will be shown in SOS branch offices statewide.

"The DADA is proud to take a leading role in this program that reaches our middle-schoolers at an extremely sensitive time in their lives, a time when they are most impressionable," said Fox. "The fact that the message comes from high school students, who could hopefully be their role models for the future, is a key factor in the success of the program. And the success will ultimately be measured in reduced incidents of underage drinking."

The program was created in 2000 by Oakland County District Judge Michael A. Martone and John Barczyk, a local McCann-Erickson advertising executive. In 2007, the DADA became the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders program through its DADA Education Foundation. Last year, the contest drew 624 entries from students in 47 states.

Winning entries are eligible for the following scholarship awards:
-- Grand Prize: $3,000
-- First Place: $1,500
-- Second Place: $1,000
-- Third Place: $500

Additionally, special awards are also presented by Courageous Persuaders partners:

-- USA Today Award: $2,000 -- chosen by the USA Today Detroit staff from among the most persuasive commercials, as judged by middle school students

-- USA Today Courageous Leader Award -- presented to a special teacher for his or her extraordinary contribution to the Courageous Persuaders program

-- New York festivals: $2,000 -- chosen based on the commercial's effectiveness to inform and inspire

-- Adcrafter Award: $2,000 -- presented to the commercial that conveyed factual information about the dangers of alcohol use in the most persuasive and creative manner

-- Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Scholarship: $3,000 -- two $1,500 Michigan-based scholarship winners

-- State Farm Insurance: $1,000 -- awarded to a Michigan-based entry

-- American Red Cross, Southeast Michigan Chapter: $500 -- awarded to a Michigan-based entry

Winners are selected after several rounds of judging. During the first round, a panel from the Detroit Auto Dealers Association views the entries and identifies the top 60 contenders. Those entries are then reviewed by students at middle schools, who complete questionnaires. Results of the questionnaires determine the winners.

To view the winning commercials and/or enter the 2008 competition, visit the newly designed Courageous Persuaders website at www.courageouspersuaders.com, or contact the Detroit Auto Dealers Association office at (248) 643-0250.

About Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA)

The DADA was founded in 1907 by 17 local car dealers, and has grown to more than 250 member car and truck dealers who donate their time and resources to a host of community activities. Currently, the DADA members collectively employ more than 16,500 people. Many members participate in the NAIAS, LLC, which is responsible for the production of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The most significant charitable venture of the DADA is the annual NAIAS Charity Preview, which has raised more than $44 million for children's charities in southeastern Michigan since 1976.

About the DADA Education Foundation

The mission of the DADA Education Foundation is to promote excellence in education through quality programs and leadership. In addition to the Courageous Persuaders program, the Foundation also administers Automotive Education Day at the NAIAS, the NAIAS Poster Contest, and coordinates the Automotive Youth Educational Systems in Michigan, an industry-wide program to enhance a student's auto technician education.