Participate in middle school PSA challenge

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Middle school students throughout New Jersey are being encouraged to take part in the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s annual Middle School Public Service Announcement Challenge.

The contest asks students in grades five through eight to write scripts to 30-second PSAs containing important peer-to-peer substance abuse prevention messages for a chance to have their script professionally filmed and aired on televisions throughout the Tri-State Area. Entries are judged on creativity, message content and ability to be produced. The deadline for entries is April 15.

“The Middle School PSA Challenge encourages our kids to become substance abuse prevention advocates,” Angelo M. Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, said in a release. “We are always so pleased to see the powerful messages the students create to inspire their peers to lead a healthy lifestyle.”

Valente hopes that this year’s challenge will yield even more creativity during a time when heroin and prescription drug abuse are reaching epidemic in New Jersey, according to the release.

“With the current substance abuse trends gripping our state, these young voices encouraging others stay drug free are more important than ever,” he noted.

The Middle School PSA Challenge is an annual contest held by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey that encourages the concept of peer-to-peer substance abuse prevention messaging. The contest is open to middle school students across the state. Students interested in entering the challenge should visit here.