Still time for young people to sign up for Smoke Storm Oscars
March 28th, 2013
We are urging schools, individuals and youth groups across the county to register for the Smoke Storm Oscars. There’s still time to register for this unique film-making initiative that educates young people about the dangers of smoking and help prevent them from taking up the habit.
We are raising awareness of the importance of the project following the publication of a report by Cancer Research UK which has suggested that 207,000 children (aged 11-15) begin smoking every year and about 27% of all Under 16s have tried smoking at least once.
The Smoke Storm Oscars is organised by us in conjunction with the Suffolk Tobacco Control Alliance. The project is encouraging budding filmmakers (aged 13-15) to pick up their video cameras and create a short informative film (no longer than five minutes) on the dangers of smoking.
Laura Beale, our Youth Project co-ordinator who is responsible for organising the Smoke Storm Oscars said: “It is a worrying trend that more young people are admitting to starting smoking at a young age and it is clear that we need to help educate them about the realities of smoking in a bid to prevent them from taking up the habit.”
She continued: “The Smoke Storm Oscars have been designed to fit in with the national curriculum and we are keen for as many different schools and youth groups across the county to sign up. We know that there are a lot of talented filmmakers throughout the county and we would urge anyone who is thinking of entering, or would simply like more information about the awards to get in touch.”
The Smoke Storm Oscars are now open for entries and the closing date for submissions is Friday 24th May. There are ten categories available with prizes including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
As part of the project, we are offering all participants the opportunity to speak to their dedicated stop smoking advisors to learn more about the health benefits of remaining smoke free.
Entrants will also have the opportunity to benefit from a free two-hour pre-production session courtesy of the VXM Project (based at CSV Media), who are supporting the project.
The winners of the Smoke Storm Oscars 2013 will be announced at a glamorous red carpet event, which will take place at Wherstead Park in July. The filmmakers behind the overall best film will receive a £500 cash prize courtesy of the Suffolk Tobacco Control Alliance, whilst four individual category winners will receive a £100 prize which has been donated by the East of England Co-Op.
Elspeth Gibson, chair of the Suffolk Tobacco Control Alliance, and part of the judging panel, said: “The Smoke Storm Oscars are a unique way of encouraging teenagers across the county to think carefully about the effects of tobacco and we hope that participating in the project will prevent them from smoking. We would like to thank all of those who have already agreed to take part, and we are really looking forward to seeing some inspiring short films.”
The Suffolk Tobacco Control Alliance is a partnership of local organisations including Suffolk Smoke Free Alliance, Live Well Suffolk and NHS Suffolk.
For more information about the Smoke Storm Oscars please click here or alternatively please email laura.beale@livewellsuffolk.org.uk
