Prizes: Three winners will be selected
(1st, 2nd and 3rd place).

1. The first place winner will receive a cash prize of $500.
2. The second place winner will receive a cash prize of $250.
3. The third place winner will receive $100.
4. The first place winner will have the opportunity to attend the 54th annual GRAMMY Awards backstage experience during a GRAMMY rehearsal in January 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Winners will receive lunch and a MusiCares/Grammy certificate of appreciation, as well as two tickets to the GRAMMY museum and a gift bag. A chaperone will be required.
5. All three winners will have their original compositions posted on the MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation's GRAMMY 365 Web site (the premiere site for Recording Academy members) and the Think MTV Web site (MTV's Web site for young people who want to make their life, their community and their world better.) It will also be posted on the Above the Influence Campaign site, sponsored by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
6. Winners will receive a certificate from the National Institute on Drug Abuse acknowledging their role in the dissemination of health information about substance abuse.

Contest Requirements and Rules:
(Questions about contest rules can be directed to Erica Krusen at MusiCares at 310-581-8729.)

1. This contest is open to U.S. citizens or legal residents between the ages of 14 and 18 who are currently enrolled in high school in any state in the United States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Students may be enrolled in public or private schools, or be home-schooled.
2. Parents or legal guardian(s) of applicants will assume responsibility for review of entry and application content, including compliance with these contest requirements and rules.
3. Entrants working together in a group are team members. Each team may not have more than 2 team members in their group and should submit one entry form.
4. Entrants must perform their own music.
5. MusiCares will judge submissions based on their accurate portrayal of the importance of healthy personal choices or the dangers of drug abuse and addiction. For accurate scientific information on drug abuse and addiction, entrants are encouraged to use the NIDA Teen Web site as a resource: Teens.drugabuse.gov.
6. Each entry should be in a CD or DVD format. The video or music/lyric composition must be no longer than 4 minutes. Submissions are to be mailed to:
   Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest
   MusiCares Foundation
   3030 Olympic Blvd,
   Santa Monica, CA 90404
   Attn: Erica Krusen
   erica.krusen@grammy.com (email preferred)
   (Phone inquiries: 310-581-8729)
7. Submissions will include a written or video essay on the following:
   - Part A: Name and brief biography of the contestant, including contestant address, phone and e-mail address, age, year in school, name of high school (one paragraph.)
   - Part B: A statement on why the entrant is interested in the project. For example, your own experiences, experiences with a friend or family member who is struggling with substance abuse, your view of peer pressure, your approach to personal choices, etc. (maximum 2 pages.)
   - Part C: A brief statement on the background of the song and/or video as well as lyrics.
   - Part D: The MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation must have consent forms from all entrants, signed by the students and their parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Click here for consent form. [PDF format, 655 KB]
8. The video or music/lyric composition must not contain material that violates or infringes on another's rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright or license infringement.
9. The video or music/lyric composition must not contain brand names or trademarks.
10. The video or music/lyric composition must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, defamatory, slanderous, or libelous.
11. The video or music/lyric composition must not contain material that promotes bigotry, hatred, or harm toward any group or individual or that promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
12. The video or music/lyric composition must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations of any state where the video is created.

Contest Deadline:
Submissions postmarks must read between May 9, 2011 through October 10th, 2011.

For more information on MusiCares or the GRAMMY Foundation go to: www.musicares.com or www.grammyfoundation.com