I’m reaching out to let you know about a public service announcement (PSA) contest that may be of interest to you and your students. The U.S. Agency International Development’s Center for International Disaster Information (USAID CIDI) holds an annual PSAid contest challenging U.S. college students to create PSAs that creatively articulate why “Cash is Best” when helping people affected by disasters across the world.

The PSAid contest provides a hands-on opportunity to equip your students with real world communications, branding, graphic design and public relations experience.Students can enter as a group, class or individually. Attached please find a flyer you can use to let others know about the contest.

In previous years professors have told us they benefit most by incorporating the contest into their curriculum or announcing participation as extra credit. We can arrange Skype sessions with your class and disaster relief experts at USAID CIDI. These sessions can provide detailed information for your students about disaster relief, the importance of the “Cash is Best” message along with insight on what the contest judges are looking for.

This year’s contest categories are:

• Video – 30-second broadcast quality PSA
• Print Ad – High resolution, full page print PSA with a banner ad version for media outlets’ websites
• Digital Image – Any type of graphic or image that can be used online to convey the Cash is Best messaging, can be static or animated

All contest submissions are due Thursday March 28, 2019 at 11:59pm PDT. 

Previous winning PSAs have reached over one billion people! For example, winning video PSAs have aired during episodes of 2 Broke Girls, Two and Half Men, Access Hollywood, Modern Family, among others. Winning print PSAs have been featured in the Washington Times, Washingtonian Magazine, Forbes, Rolling Stone, and Scientific America, to name a few. Last year’s entries and other information can be found at PSAid.org.

The “Cash is Best” message is central to the work done by USAID CIDI, which has run the PSAid contest since 2006. USAID CIDI works to educate the public about why providing monetary donations is the best way to help people who are affected by disasters worldwide. With a cash contribution, relief organizations can purchase exactly what is most urgently needed to help survivors – without incurring any transportation or storage costs. Cash also enables relief supplies to be purchased near the disaster site, stimulating local economies when they need it most. Students who participate support this mission by encouraging good giving habits, which ultimately saves lives all over the world.

We hope you’ll consider participating and sharing this opportunity with your students! If you have any questions, please reach out to me directly. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Alison Vicent

CIDI Contest Coordinator

psaid@hkstrategies.org