VIRGINIA BEACH – Two Virginia Beach middle school students are among those whose holiday traffic safety jingles are in the final round of the 2022 Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday jingle contest.
The Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety, the Virginia State Police, the Department of Motor Vehicles and State Farm announced that public voting is open in the competition, which is part of the Youth of Virginia’s contest for students ages 11 to 19.
For the contest, students had to create a safe driving jingle – a short song or tune – to promote wearing a seat belt along with celebrating and driving safely throughout the holidays.
Jungles from the following 11 students made it into the final round of the competition:
High School Division:
- Laci Craig; Liberty High School, Bedford Co.
- REACH Homeschool, Fredericksburg
- Magna Vista High School Warrior Tech 5, Henry Co.
- Kettle Run High School, Fauquier Co.
- Asaph King; Homeschool, Stafford Co.
- Magna Vista High School Warrior Tech 17, Henry Co.
Middle School Division:
- Vikram Goudar; Old Donation School, Virginia Beach
- Liam Conery; Old Donation School, Virginia Beach
- Charlotte Cheon; Mantua Elementary School, Fairfax
- Esaias King; Homeschool, Stafford Co.
- Myles and Nicholas Crosby; Elizabeth Davis Middle School, Chesterfield Co.
For high school entries, voting takes place for the best 30-second jingle at www.surveymonkey.com/r/hsjinglecontest and https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/msjinglecontest for middle school entries. (The survey link is also accessible on Twitter at @_YOVASO_ and www.Facebook.com/yovaso.virginia.)
Public voting is now open and will continue through 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The winning jingle in the high school and middle school division will be announced Friday, and shared on social media throughout Christmas Day to remind students to drive and celebrate safely.
The top three jingles with the most votes in both divisions will receive a cash prize.
High school prizes are as follows: first place, $500; second place, $200; and third place $100.
Middle school prizes will be awarded as follows: first place, $200; second place $100; third place $50. All prizes are made possible by a grant from State Farm. For the official jingle guidelines, winner selection process and other information, visit the Holiday Contest Page.
“The jingle competition is a fun and creative way for teens to remind each other to buckle up and drive safely during this high-risk period,” said Mary King, YOVASO program manager, in a statement. “We know youth and teens love music and these safe driving jingles are a great way to reach youth on social media during the holidays.”
YOVASO is Virginia’s Peer-to-Peer Education and Prevention Program for Young Driver and Passenger Safety and is a program of the Virginia State Police. Membership in YOVASO is free and open to all Virginia high schools, middle schools, and youth groups.
