$20K to be awarded in Red Ribbon Week photo contest

In an effort to prevent drug use and educate youth, the National Family Partnership invites families and schools across America to participate in its 5thAnnual National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest. The contest, which is co-sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency, will be held in conjunction with the 30thAnnual Red Ribbon Week on Oct. 23-31.

“Students will once again take the Red Ribbon Campaign prevention message into their homes, neighborhoods and schools with this contest,” said NFP president Peggy Sapp. “It’s a fun and creative way for parents and schools to educate children about the dangers of drug use while they decorate their homes and schools using this year’s theme, ‘Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.’”

The contest began on Oct. 1, with the winners to be announced on Dec. 4.This year, $20,000 will be awarded to schools in 10 regions across the country.

How to enter:
• Students and families decorate their home’s front door, mailbox or fence with a double-looped red ribbon and the theme, “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.”
• Schools (K-12) may decorate their school campus with a double-looped red ribbon and the theme, “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.” Decorations should be in a visible location on the school campus.
• Take a photo with your decoration and upload it to RedRibbon.org/contest from Oct. 1 (12am ET) to Nov. 3 (11:59pm ET). You must be 18 years or older to upload the photo and can do so from any desktop or mobile device.
• Ask family and friends to vote for your entry beginning Nov. 4 (12am ET) to Nov. 18 (11:59pm ET). The winners will be announced Dec. 4.
10 Families in the Home Decoration category with the most votes in each region will win an iPad for the family and $1,000 to be used toward drug prevention at a K-12 school of their choosing.

10 schools in the School Decoration category with the most votes in each region will win an iPad (for the school employee or PTA member who entered on behalf of the school) and $1,000 to be used toward drug prevention at the school.

In addition to the contest, the National Family Partnership recently announced that this year’s National Red Ribbon Week Youth Ambassador is Johanna Colón of Raleigh, North Carolina. The 7-year-old YouTube sensation was selected for her tremendous spirit, wonderful dance skills, commitment to healthy activities, kindness toward others, leadership qualities, self-confidence and her self-respect—all demonstrated in a three-minute, viral YouTube video, viewed by an estimated 20 million people. Johanna’s qualities and her song selection (Aretha Franklin’s classic, Respect) tie in perfectly with this year’s Red Ribbon Week theme: Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.

The National Family Partnership was established in 1980 and is a national leader in drug prevention, education and advocacy. Its mission is to lead our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign. NFP created the campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Learn more about NFP at www.nfp.org.

To learn more about contest rules, visitRedRibbon.org. (NFP)