Banks across the nation are now accepting entries for the American Bankers Association Foundation’s 11th annual Lights, Camera, Save! video contest. The national contest encourages teens ages 13-18 to get creative and educate their peers on the benefits of sound money management. Winners are eligible for cash prizes up to $5,000.
Teen contestants will create up to a 30-second video that highlights the importance of using money wisely and submit it to their local participating bank. Young filmmakers of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. Given the ongoing pandemic, contestants will be encouraged to follow all local health protocols in creating their videos. Participating banks across the country will be accepting entries through March 1.
Banks will host the first round of judging and select a winning student to compete on the national level for several awards, including a $5,000 grand prize, $2,000 for the second-place winner and $1,000 for the third and fourth place winners. Winning entrants will go on to compete in a bracket-style tournament hosted on ABA’s Instagram page where the public will be able to vote on their favorites. Last year’s winners can be viewed here.
“Each year, we look forward to seeing the creative ways teens use video to demonstrate the importance of financial preparedness,” said Corey Carlisle, executive director of the ABA Foundation. “We are particularly excited to host this year’s contest on Instagram, which will help maximize the number of young people we can reach with this critically important message.”
This year’s contest is sponsored by VantageScore Solutions whose highly predictive credit scoring models provide lenders and consumers with more inclusive and consistent credit scores across all three major credit reporting companies.
“Understanding and learning how to manage your financial health is a critical life skill,” said Barrett Burns, CEO and president of VantageScore Solutions. “We’re thrilled to participate in ‘Lights, Camera, Save!’ because it is a fun way for students to get their creative juices flowing while exploring topics like saving money for college, managing debt and establishing good credit.”
Students interested in Lights, Camera Save! can learn more about the contest at lightscamerasave.com. Bankers interested in participating in the contest can still sign up online at aba.com/lightscamerasave.
Since 1997, the ABA Foundation’s financial education initiatives have reached 11.1 million young people with the help of more than 350,000 banker volunteers. The Foundation’s other financial education programs include Get Smart About Credit, Teach Children to Save and Safe Banking for Seniors. The programs are provided at no cost to ABA members and non-members.