Eleven fourth- and fifth-graders from across Utah received movie-star treatment as they "Walked the Red Carpet" at the ninth annual TRUTH from Youth Anti-tobacco Advertising Contest awards ceremony on Monday, May 22. The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) announced the winners during a celebrity-style awards ceremony at the Butterfly Restaurant at The Gateway. This year's contest theme was "Walk the Red Carpet", and winners received fame, fortune and a limousine excursion to a movie premiere.

After the awards ceremony, the winners joined hundreds of other fourth- and fifth-graders at a movie premiere of the DreamWorks film "Over the Hedge" at the Holladay Cinema. The movie premiere celebration recognized 2,887 participants who entered the contest. Additional movie premieres took place in Providence and Richfield for contest entrants across the state.

Winners include "Smoking Affects Other People" by Andrea Hancock, Riverdale Elementary, Best of Show; "Motor Cycles Are More Important than Smoking" by Parker Scott Langevled, Roosevelt Elementary, 1st place billboard/poster; "Lost Grandpas" by Daniel Wilde, Highland Elementary, 1st place radio; "There's No Excuse for Smoking" by Kylee Forbes, Woods Cross Elementary, 1st place TV. Additional winners include:

Billboard
2nd place: Taylor Brown and Kelcie Hart, Centerville Elementary
3rd place: Bella Villegas, Willow Canyon

Radio
2nd place: Joni Holbrook, Woods Cross Elementary
3rd place: Rylee Spangler, Summit Academy

TV
2nd place: Daphne Davis, J.R. Smith Elementary
3rd place: Amanda Jacobs, Syracuse Elementary
Honorable Mention: Korbin Hansen, Lehi Elementary

"This year we wanted to give the winners the movie-star treatment," said Lena Dibble, media coordinator, UDOH Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. "We are proud of the youth for entering the contest, and wanted them to know they can be glamorous without using tobacco."

Utah's fourth- and fifth-graders entered the contest by creating an anti-tobacco radio, TV or billboard/poster ad. The Best of Show winner received celebrity-style recognition at the formal awards ceremony, a prize of $400, and the chance to produce their idea into a real ad. In addition to the limousine ride to the movie premiere, the Best of Show winner will receive a limousine excursion with seven people of her choice. A total of ten prizes were awarded, with $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third in each category, and one honorable mention. The winning contest advertisement will air in June.

"Even though the tobacco industry tries to make tobacco use seem cool, we want kids to know smoking is dangerous and deadly," Dibble said.

Every day, more than 1,500 people under the age of 18 become regular smokers; about one-half will eventually die from a tobacco-related disease. Almost 90 percent of people start smoking before the age of 19. Approximately 70 percent of teens who smoke say they would not have started if they could do it over again.

For more information about the awards ceremony, call (801) 256-9424.

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