NIH, MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation announce teen music contest
July 10, 2010
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, along with MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation—the two nonprofit organizations of The Recording Academy—today announced the MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest. The contest asks young musicians, ages 14-18, to compose or create an original song and/or music video that explores, encourages, and celebrates a healthy lifestyle or accurately depicts a story about drug abuse. Winners will be announced during NIDA's first National Drug Facts Week, which begins Nov. 8, 2010.
"National Drug Facts Week is a dialogue between teens and scientists about the facts about drug abuse," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. "This contest will encourage young contestants to integrate those facts into music, using their own voices to tell important stories about how drugs have affected their lives, or how they have avoided substance abuse through healthy living strategies."
"It is an ideal opportunity for the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares to bring both aspects of our mission - music education for young people, and health and human services and addiction recovery, respectively together," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Foundation, MusiCares, and The Recording Academy. "Music is a tremendously powerful force to deliver significant messages, and we're certain that the resulting songs and videos will showcase the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the ravages of drug addiction in moving and insightful ways."
The first, second and third place winners will have their musical entries posted on the GRAMMY 365 and Think MTV websites, as well as on the Above the Influence campaign site sponsored by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign—a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In addition, all three winners will have the opportunity to attend the 53rd annual GRAMMY Awards Backstage Experience during a GRAMMY rehearsal Jan. 2011 in Los Angeles.
The winners will receive a small cash award from the Visions Adolescent Treatment Center in Malibu, Calif., and a certificate from NIDA acknowledging their role in the dissemination of health information about substance abuse. NIDA will provide technical expertise in the judging process, with points given for accurate depiction of subject matter.
Original music compositions or compositions with accompanying videos must be sent to MusiCares postmarked no later than Oct. 15. Entries must be no more than three minutes long. More information can be found on the National Drug Facts Week Web site drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov.
Entry address:
MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation Teen Substance Abuse Music Contest
3030 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Contact:
NIDA Press Office
301-443-6245
media@nida.nih.gov
About MusiCares: Established in 1989 by The Recording Academy®, MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. For more information, please visit www.grammy.org/musicares.
About The GRAMMY Foundation: The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture — from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy®, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit www.grammy.org/grammy-foundation.
About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA's new DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or fax or email requests to 240-645-0227 or drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at drugpubs.drugabuse.gov. NIDA's media guide can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/publications/media-guide, and its new easy-to-read website can be found at www.easyread.drugabuse.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH. . .Turning Discovery Into Health®