Courageous Persuaders Video Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Courageous Persuaders

Official Rules — Courageous Persuaders (2025/2026)

Overview
- The 2025/2026 Courageous Persuaders competition is open only to students enrolled in high schools located within the continental United States. Entries must be short public-service commercials that encourage safe driving and are directed to middle school classrooms. Judges will evaluate submissions based on originality, creativity, and persuasiveness.

Eligibility and Entry Basics
- Commercial length: 30 seconds maximum.
- Target audience: middle school students.
- How to enter: Upload your completed video to a public online hosting service (for example: YouTube, Vimeo, SchoolTube) and complete the online entry form, including the direct link to your video.
- Videos hosted on private platforms or that require special access (private Google Drive, private Canva link, restricted accounts) will be disqualified.
- Entry deadline: All submissions must be uploaded and the entry form submitted by March 30, 2026.
- A student may submit more than one commercial.
- Entries may be individual or team efforts.

Team rules and awards
- Team members must be high school students (grades 9–12) residing in the continental U.S., age 19 or younger. Every team must designate a Team Captain and list all members on the entry form.
- If a team entry wins a scholarship prize, the award will be divided equally among all team members listed on the entry form.
- All team members must possess a valid government-issued photo ID.

Consent, Credits and Documentation
- A signed Consent Form is required for every person who took part in creating the commercial — this includes team members, on-camera actors, voice-over artists, photographers, composers, musicians, and anyone who provided sound effects or appeared in photographs. You will be asked to submit these Consent Forms only if your entry becomes a finalist, and submission of completed forms is required before the entry goes to final judging, airs on television, or is posted on the Courageous Persuaders website.
- Failure to provide fully completed Consent Forms for every individual involved will result in disqualification.
- Finalists must also submit a Works Cited page in MLA or APA format with their Consent Forms. Cite any photographs, facts, statistics, or other research sources used in the video.
- Do not include family photos, published photos, images from websites, or film footage without written permission from the copyright owner and/or each person shown. This restriction includes photos and footage of school events and sporting activities; most internet and magazine images, movie/video game/TV footage, and news photos are copyrighted and require permission. Use of images or footage without signed permission will lead to disqualification.

Originality and copyright
- All visual and audio elements of the submission must be original to the entrants. Use of copyrighted materials or AI-generated images is prohibited and will disqualify the entry.

Content restrictions and safety
- No alcohol or illegal substances may be consumed or appear to be consumed during production. You may simulate drinking only by using a non-alcoholic substitute and cutting the scene before anything is ingested. Drinking games (e.g., beer pong) are not allowed.
- All brand names, company logos, trademarks, and identifying signage must be obscured or altered — this includes branding on clothing, hats, vehicles, buildings, beverages, etc. Do not show recognizable alcohol containers even if labels are removed.
- Content must be suitable for television viewing by a middle school audience; profanity, graphic content, or other material inappropriate for that age group is prohibited.
- Entries that depict dangerous stunts, unsafe driving, vomiting, or toilet scenes will be disqualified. If a vehicle is shown with a driver using a phone, the vehicle must be parked; any depiction of a moving vehicle with driver distraction is prohibited.
- Do not include phone numbers or website addresses other than CourageousPersuaders.com. You may credit the video’s producer(s) by name if you wish.
- Tombstone/grave images with readable names or dates may not be used unless you provide written permission from the deceased person’s family. Alternatively, you may obscure or blur those details.

Use of submissions and ownership
- Submitted videos will not be returned. By entering, you grant the Detroit Auto Dealers Association Education Foundation, Inc. the right to display, duplicate, edit, and exhibit your video for educational or promotional purposes. You retain a copy of your submission for your records.

Disqualification and final decisions
- Any entry that glamorizes or promotes drinking or illegal activity will be disqualified.
- Courageous Persuaders (managed by the DADA Education Foundation) has sole discretion to determine eligibility and to resolve any disputes related to submissions.
- Because entry counts vary year to year, the odds of winning cannot be predetermined.

Music & Audio — accepted sources
Permissible music and sound effects may come only from one of these three sources:
1) Courageous Persuaders Free-Use Music (available specifically for this competition; do not use published music unless you have permission).
2) GarageBand loops/sounds used in accordance with the GarageBand Software License Agreement.
3) Original music written and performed by you or by team members (everyone who contributed must sign a Consent Form).

Important notes on audio:
- Many sites advertising “copyright-free” music or effects are not legally cleared for use; using such audio may disqualify your entry.
- You may not use someone else’s recorded song (a “cover”) or sound effects unless that person is a team member who can sign a Consent Form.
- GarageBand may be used as an element of original music, provided usage complies with its license; do not use other third-party music or sound effects without permission.

Courageous Persuaders Free-Use Music — rules and access
- This music is provided for use only in the Courageous Persuaders competition.
- If you use a Free-Use Music track, you must identify it on your submission and list the track number used.
- For questions, contact: Brian Yessian — [email protected].
- To access the library, use the following:
- Library URL: https://yessian.disco.ac/cat/1137825369 (search for Courageous Persuaders® Free-Use Music)
- USER ID: [email protected]
- PASSWORD: CPFirst1!
- Please do not change the password, as the account must be accessible to all participating students.

If you have additional questions about rules, submission procedures, or music access, contact the Courageous Persuaders program administrators before the March 30, 2026 deadline.