“Get Screened!” colon cancer video contest deadline approaches

The deadline for Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s innovative YouTube video contest to promote colon cancer screening is coming up: Jan. 30.

The spots should be 30 to 60 seconds long. You can shoot them with any video gear you want, even your cellphone, as long as it can be posted to YouTube.

Once you’ve shot your video, upload it to YouTube and then register with the Get Screened Video Group.

Top prize is $2,500.

Some entries are already posted.

To learn more:

• Visit the the Get Screened Video Contest information page.
• Read the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s press release on the next page.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s press release:

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center today announced a video contest called “Get Screened” — a creative challenge to movie makers to help shine a spotlight on the importance of colorectal-cancer screening. The contest is part of the Hutchinson Center’s ongoing awareness campaign — Your colon. Your life. Your call. — to increase colon-cancer screening rates and reduce deaths from the disease in Washington state.

Colon cancer is the third most-commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. An estimated 49,960 Americans, including 940 Washington state residents, will die of the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Most of these deaths could be prevented if the disease were caught early. We’re launching this video contest to help increase awareness about the importance of early detection and motivate people to get screened,” said Lee Hartwell, Ph.D., president and director of the Hutchinson Center.

The contest is open to movie makers age 18 and older. Film or video submissions must be either 30 seconds or 60 seconds in length and can be in any style or genre, including animation, drama, still art, imagery, comedy or documentary. Entries will be judged on five criteria: originality, creativity, concept, information and overall presentation. All entries are due by Jan. 30, 2009.

The top 15 entries will be posted to YouTube.com in February and the public will be allowed to view each finalist’s submission and to post comments. Each finalist will be evaluated by a panel of celebrity judges.

In mid-March five winning entries will be announced: one grand prize ($2,500), two first-runners-up ($1,000) and two second-runners-up ($500). The winning videos and finalists will also be posted on the campaign Web site and be screened at a public event.

The winning videos will incorporate some or all of the following messages:

• Getting screened for colon cancer can save your life
• The risk of colon cancer increases around age 50
• Ask your doctor about the importance of colon-cancer screening
• Encourage anyone you know around age 50 to get screened for colon cancer

Screening and early detection are crucial because people with colon cancer may be asymptomatic for many years, and precancerous lesions or polyps may take 10 years to transform from benign to malignant. If routine screening via colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy detects a precancerous polyp, it can be removed immediately.

Downloadable images:

EPS format
TIFF format
GIF format

To save a high-resolution logo to your computer:
— Internet Explorer users: Right-click on either of the links and select “Save Target As.” Save to your desired location.
— Safari users: Click on either link above and then drag & drop onto your desktop.

For more information:
For more information about the contest, please visithttp://www.endcoloncancernow.org/video/

In addition to the contest rules, the site provides a tool for calculating one’s risk for colon cancer and information about the latest recommended screening options and guidelines, among many other life-saving resources.

Tags: Cancer, Cancer Screening, Colon Cancer, Colonoscopy, FlipCam, Media, Video, YouTube

Category: Cancer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Prevention