If you were steering a beluga whale down the street, would you risk sneaking a peek at your phone? Probably not.
High school sophomores Matthew Post and John Caporaletti agree, and in their new public service announcement (PSA), they encourage their peers to drive their vehicles with the same care and attention.
Toyota and Discovery Education announced that the Sherwood High School students of Montgomery County Public Schools in Olney, Md. (outside of Washington, D.C.) won the grand prize in the Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge for their video “For the Whales.”
You can view their winning video below:
Now in its fifth year, the Toyota and Discovery Education challenge invites teens across the country to create public service videos to inspire their friends and peers to drive more safely.
Matthew and John’s video provides an innovative perspective on the seriousness of driving with the stark reminder that just like a beluga whale, a standard sedan weighs a whopping two tons.
With this in mind, the pair encourage drivers to eliminate risky behaviors and focus on the road. The teens will receive $15,000 and will work with a Discovery film crew to reshoot their video into a TV-ready PSA to air on a variety of Discovery networks.
Matthew and John’s video was chosen by a panel of judges at Toyota and Discovery Education from more than 1,500 submissions – the most ever received in contest history. The other winners include:
- Second Place: Samuel Brown and Lillian Smith, students at Oklahoma City Public Schools’ Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City, Okla., will receive $10,000, as well as a behind-the-scenes trip to a live taping of a Velocity network show for their video, “Scary Movie.”
- Third Place: Blake Rozas and Jackson Ingraham, students at Eanes Independent School District’s Westlake High School in Austin, Texas will receive $7,500 for “Brain Surgery.”
- People’s Choice: Blake Takushi and Tyler Mora, students at Fort Bend Independent School District’s Kempner High School and Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas, who were chosen online by public vote, will receive $5,000 and a behind-the-scenes trip to a taping of a Velocity network show.
The additional seven finalists will receive $2,500, and four regional winners will receive $1,000. Their videos can be viewed here.
The challenge is part of Toyota TeenDrive365 (www.TeenDrive365.com), a comprehensive initiative to help teens and parents become safer drivers together. Building on the programs Toyota has offered for more than a decade, it offers a collection of online tools, events, expert advice and tips as well as social media elements.
Anllelic Lozada “Angie” is a proud P.A.N.K (professional aunt with no kids), a Personal Marketing Strategist in NYC and Los Tweens & Teens “Tia-in-Charge,” based in New York City. Anllelic wants you to best your best life so you can positively influence your tween and teen. Subscribe to her weekly e-newsletter in Spanish in marketingparatucarrera.com/Vendete, where she shares personal marketing strategies to help you “Comunicar lo genial que eres.”