The “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” PSA Challenge is open to ALL students at the following colleges & universities: Adirondack, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo. Cobleskill (NEW!), Cortland, Farmingdale, Jefferson, Monroe, Nassau, North Country (NEW!), Oneonta, Orange, Rockland (NEW!) Stony Brook, Suffolk, Ulster, Westchester, CUNY: LaGuardia, Queensborough, Ithaca College + rising Freshmen/2nd semester HS Seniors planning to attend these schools or students actively taking college courses through any of the aforementioned schools. New York Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), NYS GTSC, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, promotion and advertising agencies, and each of their respective employees, and members of the immediate family of such employees (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, ward, daughter or son and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same households as employees, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win. Students must enter individually and can work with a team. If entering as part of a team, the team must designate one person as the group’s designated leader for purposes of the Challenge. For the purposes of these Official Rules, where a video (as defined below) is submitted on behalf of a single individual, it means the individual whose name and contact information is entered on the entry form.

Challenge begins 3/07/2025 at 12:00:01 a.m. EST and ends 5/12/2025 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST (the "Challenge Period").

Student must be a registered member of YouTube* in order to submit an entry. 

TO ENTER, COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

• Step 1: During the Challenge Period, visit the Challenge webpage located at sadd.org/newyork and read the video submission rules, requirements, tips and background about the Challenge.

• Step 2: Create a PSA raising awareness to prevent drowsy driving as the driver, the passenger or recognizing a drowsy driver on the road. Video should encourage people to make safe choices before getting in the car and while on the road. The video should be exactly twenty-five (:25) seconds in length and must meet the Entry Criteria and Objectives in Paragraph 4 below.

• Step 3: Review and accept these Official Rules & Terms of the Challenge and submit entry through Challenge Entry Form, on this page, or sadd.org/newyork.  Students may enter individually or can work with a team. If entering as part of a team, the team’s lead student must submit their contact information on the entry form and will be the person authorized to receive award on behalf of the team. Once the video is created, submit the video for entry into the Challenge by the end of the Challenge Period. To submit the video, complete the Challenge entry form at with your name, email address and phone number. Any video submitted after the deadline will not be eligible for consideration.

• Video should be marked as unlisted (to learn how to mark a video as unlisted, visit here. LIMIT: One entry per person, regardless of whether a participant made an individual entry or worked with a team.

*No Sponsorship or endorsement of the Challenge Sponsors by YouTube is intended or implied; nor is YouTube associated with the Challenge in any way.

The video Challenge theme is drowsy driving, focusing on raising awareness to the unique dangers of driving while drowsy and encouraging people to make safe choices on the road. The video PSA should target drivers and express this theme. Videos may show other people, but participants must have written permission (additional form) from all individuals who appear in or are mentioned in the video to use their name, voice and/or image and they must be willing to grant the rights set forth in these Official Rules. If they are not willing to do so, do not use them in the video. The winning selection will be required to provide a copy of the consent forms to SADD. If the video includes any facts and statistics, those facts and/or statistics must be obtained from https://www.nhtsa.gov/ , https://www.itsmr.org/tssr/, or http://www.ghsa.org/. These websites provide the most up-to date and factually correct data related to driving safety.

Video submission guidelines:

• Be exactly: 25 seconds in length;

• Be original.

• Must include somewhere in the PSA submission, either in text or spoken word, the phrase "Stay Awake! Stay Alive!".

• If the video includes music, then the music must be provided by a copyright/royalty

free library OR original music created and owned by participants. Copyright/royalty free

music can be found here and here.

• Adhere to the following technical specifications:

o The use of a consumer or “prosumer” camera, preferably high-definition (HD) quality;

o Film resolution for all footage must be at least 720 x 480;

o If an iPhone or some form of a flip camera is used, please shoot footage horizontally,

not vertically;

o Overall, please select the highest resolution possible with any camera used

• Video must be submitted as a YouTube link

The video may not:

• Show the driver doing anything but driving (especially filming while in motion);

• Show participants or anyone else driving in unsafe conditions (All participants: Must be buckled up in front and rear seats when filming inside or outside the vehicle if you can visibly see all parties in the car; may not be distracted in any way including texting, talking on the phone, operating a recording device, playing loud music or wearing headphones; and must follow rules of road, etc.);

• Contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement;

• Disparage any of the Challenge Sponsors or their respective representatives who are responsible for the promotion and administration of this Challenge;

• Feature brand names or trademarks, including on clothing worn by participants;

• Contain artwork not created by participants; contain music, other than copyright/royalty free music; or original music created and owned by the participant(s).

• Include content that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, sexually provocative, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;

• Contain content that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age;

• Contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations of the U.S. Participants selected as a winning entry must provide SADD with their video in its original format as well as all original unused footage taken when making the video, since the first-place winning entry may be considered for use as a Public Service Announcement ("PSA") in the sole discretion of SADD or other persons or entities with which SADD may collaborate to produce or air the PSA. All videos submitted for judging in the Challenge are and shall be the sole and exclusive property of SADD.

All eligible entries received will be judged by a panel of judges comprised of traffic safety and

communication experts and sponsor representatives on the basis of the following criteria:

• Ability to capture attention of others – message should resonate with all ages

• Ability to persuade others to alter driving habits – the video must resonate with young adults and adults alike and move them to be better drivers;

• Clarity of message – there needs to be an understandable, well-structured message in your video;

• Representation of DE&I themes – the video should express a consciousness of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strive to depict a representative sample of the population. This representation should be unbiased and be reflective of communities across the State.

• Creative expression – the video should show creativity and personal expression;

• Quality of video – Videos should have good production quality (images, sound, etc.) – the

video doesn’t have to be polished, but needs to be well put together.

In the event of a tie, an additional tie-breaking judge selected by The New York State Partnership Against Drowsy Driving  will determine the winner from the tied entries based on the judging criteria.

The participant selected as a winning entry will be notified via the phone number and/or email address provided by participant during registration. If the winning entry cannot be reached or does not respond to notification within forty-eight (48) hours, fails to sign and return a completely executed entry form within the designated time period, or fails to comply with these official rules, the winning entry may be disqualified, in the sole discretion of SADD and NYS GTSC (“Challenge Sponsors”) and in such case will forfeit Independent Contractor compensation. If a winning entry is disqualified for any reason, then the Challenge Sponsors will choose the participant with the next highest score as the alternate winning selection. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a participant, the entry will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. The "authorized account holder" is the person who is assigned to the email address by an internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization that is responsible for assigning email addresses or the domain associated with the submitted email addresses or the domain associated with the submitted email address. Winning selections may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.

• First Place Selection: One (1) first-place selection will receive a $2,500 contract award, and their video will be submitted by SADD to other agencies and partners for broadcast on various platforms.

• Second Place Selection (2nd runner up): One (1) second-place selection will receive a $1,500 contract award for the same services.

• Third Place Selection (3rd runner up): One (1) third-place selection will receive a $1,000 contract award for the same services.

If a contract-winning video was submitted by an individual who worked with a team, the monetary award will be awarded to the designated team leader unless SADD is otherwise notified of an official split. It will be up to the team leader to divide the contract money amongst their team members at their own discretion. No substitution of any award is offered. Award money will be awarded in the form of a check. AWARD WINNING selection PARTICIPANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TAXES IN CONNECTION WITH ANY AMOUNTS AWARDED HEREUNDER. Participants selected as a winning entry hereby agree and acknowledge that the sponsor may be required to prepare an IRS FORM 1099 for participants and supply such information (which may include, birth date and social security number) to the local, state and federal taxing agency in accordance with all applicable laws. In the event of waiver or forfeiture of an award, the sponsor may substitute or select an alternative potential winner. If a contract, or any portion thereof, for any reason cannot be awarded, the sponsor reserves the right to substitute such award with another award of equal or greater value, as determined by the sponsor in its sole discretion. First place winning participant must provide SADD with the original files and all related footage taken when making the video. Any individuals in a winning video must sign agreements waiving any union or other fees for the broadcast of the PSA in such forms as may be required by SADD or applicable unions before the video can be considered for potential broadcast as a PSA. Failure to sign such forms may result in disqualification at SADD’s sole discretion. SADD may take up to and above 90 days to verify and award funds to contractors, all awards will be executed before September 30, 2025. 

Each participant (either individually or on behalf of a team) who submits a video in this Challenge, hereby grants to SADD an exclusive worldwide, perpetual, unlimited, irrevocable, royalty-free right and license (the “License”) to use, edit, adapt, modify, reproduce, publicly display, publish, publicly perform, sub-license, transcode, make derivative works from, or otherwise make any use of their video (and if a winning selection, the related raw unused video footage) in any media and content whether now existing or later invented without any restrictions, right of approval or advance notification to the participants of any kind, for commercial or non-commercial purposes, including without limitation, in future trade, publicity and/or advertising for such Challenge Sponsors’ products and/or services, unless prohibited by law. The participants selected as winning hereby further grant to Challenge Sponsors the right to use the individual’s name (first and/or last), hometown, place of residence, photo, image, voice, and likeness, in connection with the Challenge and/or video in any manner and in any media and content whether now existing or later invented without any restrictions, right of approval or advance notification to the participants of any kind, for commercial or non-commercial purposes, including without limitation, in future trade, publicity and/or advertising for such Challenge Sponsors’ products and/or services, unless prohibited by law.

By submitting a video for consideration, each participant further agrees:

(i) That Challenge Sponsors may exercise any and all rights hereunder without attribution, notification or compensation to the selected winning entry, his/her team members, or any person who is filmed in the video;

(ii) That Challenge Sponsors shall have the right to freely assign their rights hereunder, in whole or in part, to any other person or entity, without notification or approval by participant;

(iii) That Sponsors shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use the video entry in any manner

and participants shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason of Challenge Sponsors use or non-use of participant’s video submission;

(iv) To be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges;

(v) That participants and may be contacted by Challenge Sponsors by telephone, mail or email

regarding this Challenge; and

(vi) To sign and deliver to Challenge Sponsor such documents as Challenge Sponsors may reasonably require to effectuate the rights granted herein.

Participants represent and warrant that:

(i) The video is participant’s original work;

(ii) The video does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other

intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity;

(iii) Participants have obtained written permission from each person whose name, likeness, voice

or other intellectual property is used in the video; and

(iv) The publication of the video (or related video footage) by Challenge Sponsors will not infringe

the rights of any third party. Participants will indemnify and hold harmless, each of the Challenge

Sponsors from any third-party claims to the contrary and any third-party claims arising out of or

related to the participants’ video (or related video footage) or participation in the Challenge.

Challenge Sponsors are not responsible for:

(i) Technical problems or technical malfunction which may affect the operation of the Challenge,

including, but not limited to, any of the following occurrences:

a. hardware or software errors;

b. faulty computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network, electronic, wireless or Internet

connectivity or other online communication problems;

c. errors or limitations of any Internet Service Provider (“ISP”), servers, hosts or providers;

d. garbled, jumbled or faulty data transmissions;

e. failure of any e-mail transmissions to be sent to or received;

f. any inability to upload or download any information in connection with participation in the

Challenge; or

g. inaccessibility of the webpage, in whole or in part for any reason;

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h. lost, late, delayed, corrupted or intercepted e-mail or video transmissions;

(ii) Unauthorized human or non-human intervention of the operation of the Challenge, including

without limitation, unauthorized tampering, hacking, theft, virus, bugs, worms;

(iii) destruction of any aspect of the Challenge, or loss, miscount, misdirection, inaccessibility or

unavailability of an account used in connection with the Challenge, including but not limited to,

undeliverable contact attempts that result from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering or for

insufficient space in participant’s account to receive e-mail;

(iv) Any typographical errors in the announcement of prizes or these Official Rules, or any

inaccurate or incorrect data contained on the webpage; and

(v) any personal injury, or property damage or losses of any kind which may be sustained to user's

or any other person's computer equipment resulting from participation in the Challenge, use of the

webpage, or the download of any information from the webpage.

BY ENTERING, EACH PARTICIPANT AGREES FOR ENTRANT AND FOR ENTRANT’S TEAM MEMBERS, IF

ANY, HIS/HER HEIRS, EXECUTORS, AND ADMINISTRATORS TO RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS THE

CHALLENGE SPONSORS, YOUTUBE AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, PARENTS, OWNERS, FRANCHISEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND EMPLOYEES (COLLECTIVELY, THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY, CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES), INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, OR DAMAGE TO OR LOSS OF PROPERTY, WHETHER CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE OR NOT, ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CHALLENGE OR RECEIPT OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PORTION OF THE PRIZE, ENTRY OR PARTICIPATION IN THE CHALLENGE OR IN ANY CHALLENGE OR PRIZE RELATED ACTIVITY, OR ANY ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE CHALLENGE WEBPAGE, OR ANY CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION OR INVASION OF PRIVACY, MISAPPROPRIATION OR INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OR MERCHANDISE DELIVERY.

To the extent that any video uploaded to YouTube appears to infringe upon the intellectual

property interests of a third party, that third party should notify YouTube using its DMCA notification system (available at here). Challenge Sponsors have no control over the content of videos, and assume no responsibility for any video that may infringe upon the intellectual property rights of another.

SADD or its designated representative has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor/screen video submissions. By entering, participants acknowledge that Challenge Sponsors have no obligation to use or post any video submission. If for any reason the Challenge is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Challenge, the Challenge Sponsors reserve the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, modify or terminate the Challenge or any portion thereof. ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY FRAUDULENT CLAIMS, MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS – AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. Proof of making an entry will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by SADD. Any use of robotic, automatic, programmed or like entry methods will void all entries affected by such methods and be deemed tampering. Persons engaging in any of the foregoing activities may be disqualified. SADD’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. By participating, participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of SADD and the judges and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Challenge or these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right to make changes or additions to these Official Rules and/or change the dates of the Challenge at any time.

This Challenge is offered only in the United States and is governed by the laws of the State of New York. By entering, participants consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts located in the City of Albany, New York for the resolution of any disputes, and agree that such courts are a convenient forum for the resolution of such disputes.

Participants are required to read the full SADD Rules & Terms located here for more information about the Challenge information collection and use practices.

PSAs selected as winning sub-contracts will be posted on the SADD webpage after the selected participants are confirmed.