Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest

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 — 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 http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov.

Entry address:
MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation Teen Substance Abuse Music Contest
3030 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404