Know any creative individuals over 18 who would be interested in participating in a video contest to promote alcohol and drug abuse prevention and positive mental health? Now is their chance to shine: not one but two contests are seeking video public service announcements (PSAs) tackling these topics. 

The first contest, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is timed to coincide with the start of National Prevention Week 2012.  Entrants to the Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Video Contest are asked to create videos that are either exactly 15 seconds or 30 seconds long and focus on the theme, “We are the ones. How are you taking action?”

Videos should showcase the work young people are doing in their communities to “prevent alcohol and drug abuse and promote emotional well-being,” according to SAMHSA.

The grand prize winner will get national exposure through online channels, his or her video will be included in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s “Target America” traveling exhibit, and he or she will get an all-expenses-paid trip (for up to four people) to the June 2011 meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors in Indianapolis, Ind., where the PSA will be shown. 

Submissions to the Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness contest are due April 15, 2011; entrants must be between 18 and 25 years old.

For the second video contest, How Do You Score?, the nonprofit Screening for Mental Health (SMH) is calling for 30-second entries that address binge drinking on college campuses and promote anonymous screenings for alcohol abuse at www.HowDoYouScore.org. Winners could get up to $500 for their entries and their videos will be shown nationwide “as part of this year’s National Alcohol Screening Day campaign,” according to SMH.

“The PSA contest gives students an opportunity to connect with their peers around commonly experienced feelings of stress, depression and self-destructive thinking, giving all involved a sense of social responsibility and a lasting culture towards good mental health practices,” said Douglas G. Jacobs, M.D., founder and president of SMH. 

Submissions to the How Do You Score? contest are due March 24, 2011. Entrants must be 18 or older.