Virginia: Teens invited to write a holiday jingle promoting safe driving

Virginia teens have a chance to write a holiday jingle encouraging safe driving that could end up on Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM and Spotify.

The $500 cash prize would come in handy around the holidays on top of that.

But still, a song on streaming.

The Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday: Buckle Up and Celebrate Responsibly Contest is happening now across the Commonwealth with a goal to keep teen drivers and passengers safe during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

The contest, sponsored by Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety, Virginia State Police, State Farm, WDBJ7 and Virginia DMV, is an effort to reduce teen fatalities during what has become a high-risk period for young drivers.

Over the past three years during the month of December, 16 teens aged 15-19 have died in motor vehicle crashes in the Commonwealth, and 1,338 were injured, according to statistics from DMV.

During the same time period, young drivers aged 15-19 accounted for involved in 4,463 crashes in the Commonwealth during the month of December. Many occurred when teens were on break for the Christmas holiday.

Contest rules

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The jingle competition is open to Virginia youths ages 11-19 and involves developing a safe driving jingle (short song or tune) that promotes traffic safety and the holiday campaign theme.

Teens are encouraged to enter the contest individually and/or as part of a school club or youth group.

Jingle entries must be in video format and no more than 30 seconds in length. 

Submissions are due to YOVASO by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Choosing winners

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The top six jingles in the middle and high school division, as selected by YOVASO staff, will be shared on the Holiday Contest landing page for public voting Dec. 8-11.

The winning jingle in both divisions will be announced on Dec. 12, and will be shared on social media throughout the Christmas holiday to remind students to buckle up and drive safely.

For more information on how your teen, school, or youth group can get involved, contact Casey Taylor, Program Development Coordinator, at 540-739-4392 or email [email protected].