2025 Annual Speak Up, Save a Life Video Contest

Speak Up Save a Life Video Contest Logo First Place Winner Receives $5,000.00
Second Place Winner Receives $3,000.00
Third Place Winner and Fan Favorite Winners Receive $1,000.00
An additional $5,000 to be split among Honorable Mention Winners

MCPS students earn 10 SSL hours for participating

Contest Opens, October 9, 2025 - We are extending the Deadline Date, Entries Now Due on January 4, 2026

Video Contest Registration Page
Video Contest Flyer (PDF)

image of overdose victim in loving memory This contest is not just a competition; it's a platform for your voice to be heard. It challenges teenagers to create an original video to promote awareness about the dangers of illicit opioids, fentanyl, and the risk of overdose. Your video could make a difference. The video contest is open to all 6th - 12th-grade students living in, or attending school in, Montgomery County. The top prize is $5,000; second place is $3,000; third place and fan favorite winners will each receive $1,000. 

• All submissions must have a title.
• All submissions must be in either English or Spanish.
• All submissions must be 50-70 seconds in length.
• All submissions must address at least one of the following as it relates to illegal drug use:
  • Statistics or factual information about opioids, drug abuse, overdose, accidental overdose, and/or fentanyl.
  • Impact of peer pressure or mental health issues.
  • Examples of healthy choices when it comes to avoiding the use of illegal drugs.
  • Bystander intervention (i.e., seeking help from a trusted adult, Naloxone, the Good Samaritan Law)
• All submissions must include the visual link knowtherisksmc.org or the QR code and logo as a resource.
• Submissions may NOT include ANY copyrighted music, audio/video clips, characters, logos, or other protected material. Videos may consist of music only if it is considered “open source” music, or if it is composed and played by a student (or students) in the group.
• **Video entries including illegal items, inappropriate language, or illustrating the use of needles/syringes, a violent or graphic overdose, or violence in general will not be accepted.**

Sponsored by: The Good Samaritan Fund and The Magnolia Companies, in honor of two young Montgomery County residents lost to fentanyl: Michael Pisarra and Matthew Loudon. The Magnolia Companies is a local organization dedicated to promoting health and wellness in our community, and is also in partnership with MCPS, MCCPTA, and DHHS, all of whom are committed to supporting initiatives that raise awareness about the dangers of opioids and fentanyl.

2024 Video Contest Winners

We received more than 600 entries in 2024. At the awards ceremony, The Good Samaritan Fund surprised students who created 10 “honorable mention” videos with $500 prizes.

1st Place Winner and Fan Favorite $4,750.00 Cash Prize
You Have One Life, Not Nine By: Erol Kalayoglu & Zachary Carter, Montgomery Blair High School
2nd place Winner of $2000.00 Cash Prize
The 2MG Killer, By TJ Lau, Julius West Middle School
3rd Place Winner of $750.00 Cash Prize
Protect A Friend, By: Sully Dettleff & Thomas Cooney, The Heights School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Just Some Pills, Right? By: Chloe Baczkowski, Lea Laraque, Hannah Dufour, and Holly Wagner, North Bethesda Middle School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
You Are Not A Burden, By: Ahura Ahmadi, Quince Orchard High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Last Breath, By Roman Stemp and Victoria Regachuelo, Montgomery Blair High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
One Is All It Takes, By: Sam Bringman, Eli Hotchkiss, Cyrus Froozan, Braxton Thornburgh, and Jordan Alexiev, Walter Johnson High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Just One, By: Ahrin Letoureau, Ryan Heminsley, and Meher Parsinni, Walter Johnson High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Help Without Fear, By Penelope Maria Sales Knight, Cabin John Middle School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
One Heart Half Beating, By Mary Gillon and Maeve Stillman, St. John’s College High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Don't Do Drugs For Those You Love And Inner Child, By: Helena Bedran Naumann, Maya Cohen, and Frederico Rodriguez, Walt Whitman High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Gambling With Life, By Luke Picoult, Richard Montgomery High School
Honorable Mention $500.00 Cash Prize
Find True Resilience, By Nathalie Gomez Aguilar and Leidis Gutierrez Granado, Wheaton and Kennedy High Schools

Speak Up, Save a Life 2023 Student Video Contest Winners and Honorable Mentions:

1st Place and Fan Favorite:

“Dangers of Fentanyl - Forever 16” – Jabea Ewane, Steven Santiago, Thomas Pettit (Watkins Mill High School)

2nd Place:

“I’ll Never Tell” – Elessar Issenberg (Northwood High School)

3rd Place:

“Learn the Facts about Teen Drug Abuse” - Jasper Chen (Thomas W. Pyle Middle School)

Honorable Mention:

“Bear Witness”–Kaia Koumoutseas, Leonardo Ramos (Col. Zadok Magruder High School)

Honorable Mention:

“Raising Awareness, Saving Futures: The Dangers of Fentanyl” –Jeremiah Washington (Paint Branch High School)

 


If you have questions about the contest, please email [email protected]