Montana Meth Project Launches Search for Talented Montana Filmmaker with Life or Meth Video Contest

Missoula, MT) — The Montana Meth Project is calling all treasure state filmmakers as the organization gathers submissions for a national 30-second commercial competition featuring a grand prize of $20,000 and nationwide air time for the declared winner.

“This contest is an outstanding opportunity for Montanans to show the rest of the country why we have been the standard bearer for Meth prevention, how creative we can be and that as a state we are dedicated to fighting Meth use,” said Amy Rue, Executive Director of Montana Meth Project.

Aspiring and established filmmakers from around the United States are encouraged to create an impactful commercial centered on the theme of “Life or Meth.” The submissions will then be evaluative by four of the countries Meth Project Executive Directors. The 10 best submissions will be invited to participate in an exclusive panel to be held at Series Fest in Denver, Colorado June 22-26, 2016.

The 10 panelists will then be filtered down to the top three via an online-voting competition held July 2016 with the final winner to be determined by a celebrity panel of judges and announced September 1, 2016.

Additional prizes of $2,500 and travel for two to Series Fest in Denver will also be awarded to the top production in each of these Meth Project partner states: Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Georgia.

“We have all had our experiences with Meth in our towns and our state. This contest provides a great venue for Montanans to raise their voice, tell their story and share it with the world,” said Rue.

Past Meth Project directors have gone on to accomplish great things in the film industry. The list of winners includes Academy Award-winning directors Darren Aronofsky, Wally Pfister, and Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Previous Meth Project commercials have influenced viewers through graphic, hard-hitting campaigns that followed young adults from first-time users to full-blown addicts as a means of educating people about the dangers of using methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug that severely alters a person’s brain activity.

With this competition the goal remains very much the same. Create authentic, impactful messages that will influence the next generation of teens to keep their distance from the drug and reinforce Montana Meth Project’s message of “Not Even Once”.

“Montana has been leading the fight against Meth abuse for over 10 years now,” said Rue, “so it would be fitting to see someone from our state take home the top honors, forge their path in the industry and join the impressive list of Montana Meth Project Directors.”

All entries will be screened and approved by the Montana Meth Project and will be judged on the following criteria: cinematography, screenwriting, sound, acting, editing, originality, and the thematic integration of “Life or Meth.” Once submitted, each applicant will be competing nationally in an online contest.

Entries will be accepted February 15 through May 31, 2016 at lifeormethcontest.com. Contestants will also find a link to the submission platform on the Montana Meth Project Facebook page.

About the Montana Meth Project

The Montana Meth Project is a Montana non-profit organization headquartered in Missoula, Montana and implements large-scale, research-based campaigns and community action programs to reduce Meth use in the state. The Program has demonstrated significant results in changing attitudes and behaviors toward Meth.

Through their Meth Prevention Lesson, a classroom program geared toward middle and high school students that utilizes MethProject.org, the Montana Meth Project has reached an additional 14,523 teens, with 266 new classes taught during 2014.

The Montana Meth Project is funded by generous contributions from foundations, corporations and private individuals. For more information, visit www.montanameth.org.

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Media Contacts:

Amy Rue
Montana Meth Project
406-721-2538
arue@montanameth.org

Montana Meth Project is accepting film-maker submissions for national contest

GREAT FALLS –

The Montana Meth Project is now accepting submissions from Treasure State film-makers for a national 30-second commercial competition, with a grand prize of $20,000 and nationwide air time for the winner.

A press release from the Montana Meth Project says that film-makers are encouraged to create an “impactful commercial” centered on the theme of “Life Or Meth.”

The submissions will be evaluated by four of the Meth Project executive directors from across the country.

The 10 best submissions will be invited to participate in a panel at Series Fest in Denver, Colorado, from June 22-26, 2016.

The 10 panelists will then be filtered down to the top three via an online voting competition in July 2016, with the final winner determined by a celebrity panel of judges and announced September 1, 2016.

Additional prizes of $2,500 and travel for two to Series Fest in Denver will also be awarded to the top production in each of these Meth Project partner states: Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Georgia.

“This contest is an outstanding opportunity for Montanans to show the rest of the country why we have been the standard bearer for Meth prevention, , how creative we can be and that as a state we are dedicated to fighting Meth use,” said Amy Rue, the director of the Montana Meth Project.

“We have all had our experiences with meth in our towns and our state. This contest provides a great venue for Montanans to raise their voice, tell their story and share it with the world,” said Rue.

Previous Meth Project commercials have influenced viewers through graphic campaigns that followed young adults from first-time users to full-blown addicts as a means of educating people about the dangers of using methamphetamine.

All entries will be screened and approved by the Montana Meth Project and will be judged on the following criteria: cinematography, screenwriting, sound, acting, editing, originality, and the thematic integration of “Life Or Meth.”

Once submitted, each applicant will be competing nationally in an online contest.

MISSOULIAN EDITORIAL: Good reason to cancel leases in Badger-Two Medicine

“Huckleberries” to the sharp decline in meth use among Montana teens. The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey clocked the decrease at 63 percent since 2005, and reported that only 3 percent of teens said they had used meth at least once – down from 8.3 percent in 2005. And on that note, “huckleberries” en plein air to the winners of the Montana Meth Project’s Paint the State contest! The project announced that its celebrity panel had chosen six teenagers whose public art projects helped spread the anti-meth message. The winners, who will share a total $30,000 in prize money, are Britt Juchem of Missoula, Briar Ahlborn of St. Ignatius, Peyton Schliep of Great Falls, Jacob Jones of Belgrade, Laura Goulet of Belgrade and Ross Peterson of Missoula.”

 

Survey Shows Montana Teen Meth Use Is Down 63 Percent Since 2005

Tuesday, September 22, 2015
By Emilie Ritter Saunders
406-444-3160

Montana’s 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) has found that meth use among teens in the state has sharply declined since 2005, while teen meth use has stayed consistent since 2009. The voluntary survey of teens is conducted every two years by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, in cooperation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the 2015 YRBS, 3 percent of teens surveyed said they had used meth one or more times, that’s down from 8.3 percent in 2005.

“Although at times it seems like a relentless battle with never-ending obstacles, these numbers show that over the last five years the awareness and prevention efforts of organizations like the Montana Meth Project have had a significant impact,” Cascade County Attorney John Parker said.

The most recent HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) Study found that the ability for individuals to produce meth efficiently and in large quantities in the region has been significantly degraded due to increased legislation and public awareness campaigns such as the Montana Meth Project.

“The ongoing and consistent anti-meth message that covers our state continues to educate and build confidence among teens that trying meth simply isn’t worth it,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said. “The next generation of Montanans are fully aware of meth’s harmful effects. The Montana Meth Project’s ‘not even once’ message is working.”

The teen brain is a work in progress, making it more vulnerable than the mature brain to the physical effects of meth use. A Columbia University study found that the potential for developing substance abuse and dependence is substantially greater when an individual’s first exposure to meth occurs during adolescence. Combating meth use among Montana teens is the first step to decreasing meth addiction among Montana adults.

“Once an adult becomes addicted to meth it’s incredibly difficult to get through to their rational brain. If we can reach high-risk populations during their teen years with a strong and informative anti-meth message, they are less likely to become addicted in adulthood and we will start to see a generational change to meth addiction in Montana,” said Amy Rue, Executive Director of the Montana Meth Project.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a biennial survey which measures health risk behaviors that result in mortality and morbidity. The Office of Public Instruction has been conducting YRBS with Montana schools since 1991.

The 2015 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey was conducted in February 2015 by the Montana Office of Public Instruction and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Montana Meth Project: Winners of Paint the State art contest announced

The Montana Meth Project has announced the winners of its Paint the State contest, awarding six teenagers a total of $30,000 for creating pieces of public artwork with an anti-methamphetamine message.

The contest started in June, when teens across the state were invited to submit their original artwork in one of three categories: video, outdoor/monument/sculpture or artwork/photography.

A panel that included actor J.K. Simmons, musician Tyler Barham, artist Larry Pirnie and photographer Mark Mesenko judged each of the entries and selected a winner in each category to receive a $7,500 prize.

Online voters also selected winners in each category for a $2,500 People’s Choice Award.

The celebrity panel chose Britt Juchem of Missoula as the winner of the video category, Briar Ahlborn of St. Ignatius for outdoor art and Peyton Schliep of Great Falls for photography. Jacob Jones of Belgrade won the People’s Choice Award for video, Laura Goulet of Belgrade for outdoor art and Ross Peterson of Missoula for photography.

The Montana Meth Project previously held Paint the State campaigns in 2006 and 2010, during which teens across Montana created more than 1,000 works of public art with a focus on preventing methamphetamine use.

Montana Meth Project again will ‘Paint the State’ with message, adds digital art

The Montana Meth Project has relaunched its “Paint the State” campaign, once again hoping to blanket the state with murals and other artwork created by teenagers.

During Paint the State campaigns held in 2006 and 2010, teens created more than 1,000 works of public art, drawing attention to the important cause of preventing methamphetamine use in the state.

The contest challenges Montana youths ages 13 and older to create a publicly visible work of art in any format or medium, centering the piece on an anti-meth theme, for a chance at winning some of the $30,000 in cash prizes being given away. Teens can enter the contest individually or as teams of up to four people.

While the art projects can stay on display long term, they must be visible from at least July 16, the day after registration closes, until Sept. 15.

Amy Rue, executive director of the Montana Meth Project, said Paint the State this year will also be accepting digital entries in the form of video, photography and other artwork.

In recent years, she said, the organization has shifted the focus of its marketing to having conversations on social media with teens about the dangers of meth use, finding the youths in places they already are online. Digital entries for Paint the State have the potential to spread the message even further.

“A post on Facebook can have a wider reach than a billboard on the side of Highway 200,” Rue said.

People’s Choice Awards, worth $2,500 each, will be presented in three categories: video, outdoor/monument/sculpture and artwork/photography. Those awards will be determined by the number of views the entry receives through social media.

A $7,500 Celebrity Artists Award will also be given out in each category, chosen by a panel the Montana Meth Project hopes to announce in the coming week. All winners will be announced Sept. 18, 2015.

Registration for Paint the State, including submitting a photo, location and description of the artwork, must be done by July 15. Voting will begin Aug. 1.

For more information about Paint the State, including how to register, visit montanameth.org/PTS.