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    The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association presents

    The Listen To Your Buds Public Service Announcement Contest

    Be Creative! Have Fun! Be Famous! Win Cash!

    You may like listening to music but have you considered the cost to your hearing? The popularity of personal audio technology puts millions of young listeners at potential risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Listening with earbuds or headphones at high volumes for extended periods of time may result in lifelong hearing loss. The loss may occur gradually and painlessly, often going unnoticed until it is too late.

    Kids need to know they can permanently damage their hearing by listening to music, games, and movies that are turned up too loud and for too long. Through the Listen To Your Buds Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest, young people can help spread the word about safe listening to friends, family, and classmates.

    The contest, open to young people between the ages of 8–18, invites submissions of audio or video PSAs in either 30-or 60-second formats. Entries must feature a safe listening message about using personal audio technology.

    Official Rules

    1. The contest will run from Monday, October 17, 2011, to midnight on Friday, March 9, 2012. Winners will be announced in May of 2012 during Better Hearing and Speech Month.
    2. All winning PSAs will be featured on the campaign's website and on YouTube, and will be promoted to national and local media. Winners will also receive national recognition and cash prizes.
    3. The contest is open to young people ages 8–18 or groups and organizations comprised of those of qualifying age.
    4. Entrants will compete against others in their age groups (8–10, 11–13, 14–16, and 17–18 years) and one winner will be selected from each age group for a $300 cash prize.
    5. PSAs must be entered under one name and only one prize will be awarded for each winning entry.
    6. PSAs may run either 30 or 60 seconds and must include a visual reference to the Buds website.
    7. Videos must be closed-captioned. YouTube has automatic captioning features.
    8. Refer to YouTube's Terms of Use. Entries must not contain material that violates or infringes upon another's rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights, or material that constitutes copyright or license infringement.
    9. Upload your video to YouTube. If you do not already have a YouTube account, sign up on their site.
    10. Complete and submit the entry form via e-mail to gweimann@asha.org.
    11. All entries must include signed parental/guardian permission. Additionally, submissions by those under the age of 13 must be posted to YouTube by an adult.
    12. If anyone in the video is under the age of 18, make sure their parent or guardian completes and signs the permission form [PDF] and return it with the entry form [PDF]. All submissions must include an official entry form and be uploaded by midnight on Friday, March 9, 2012.
    13. The Listen To Your Buds logo may be used only for PSA purposes; all other usage is prohibited. ASHA retains the copyright on any submitted contest material and reserves the right to use the material in any way or format it sees fit. ASHA is not responsible for lost, damaged, incorrectly encoded, incorrectly uploaded, mislabeled, or misdirected entries. Entries will not be returned and will become the property of ASHA.

    Excited but have questions? E-mail pr@asha.org.