Original Music Contest Announced For Teens

MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation have officially kicked off their second annual Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest.

The contest is for young musicians, ages 14 to 18, who will compose or create an original song and/or music video that explores, encourages and celebrates a healthy lifestyle or accurately depicts a story about drug abuse.

Winners will be revealed during the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) second annual National Drug Facts Week, which begins Oct. 31.

“The quality of last year’s entries was so impressive that the contest is launching earlier this year to give more students a chance to participate,” said NIDA Director Nora Volkow. “This competition gives teens a unique opportunity to express and share their feelings and experiences about how living a drug-free life helps them navigate their way safely into adulthood.”

The first place winner will be invited to Los Angeles to attend a special backstage tour at the 54th annual Grammy Awards.

In addition, the first, second and third place winners will have their musical entries posted on the GRAMMY365 website and the MTV Act blog.

Original music compositions or compositions with accompanying videos must be sent to MusiCares postmarked no later than Monday, Oct.10, 2011. Entries must be no more than three minutes long.

More information can be found on the National Drug Facts Week website:http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov.

Contest entries should be sent to: 

Erica Krusen
MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation Teen Substance Abuse Music Contest
3030 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404.