Detroit Auto Dealers Association Announces Courageous Persuaders Scholarship Competition Winners at Gala Event

TROY, Mich., May. 20 /PRNewswire/ --

TROY, Mich., May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) yesterday announced the winners of the annual Courageous Persuaders scholarship competition. The winners were recognized yesterday at an Oscar-style gala awards banquet at the San Marino Club in Troy. The Courageous Persuaders scholarship competition harnesses the creativity of high school students in creating 30-second television commercials warning of the dangers of underage drinking.

Winning entries from Michigan are eligible for the following scholarship awards:

-- Grand Prize, $3,000 -- First Place, $1,500 -- Second Place, $1,000 -- Third Place, $500

Additional special awards are also presented by Courageous Persuaders partners:

-- Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Scholarship $3,000 - two $1,500 Michigan-based scholarship awards -- New York festivals, $2,000 - based on the commercial's effectiveness to inform and inspire -- Adcrafter Award, $2,000 - presented to the commercial that conveyed factual information about the dangers of alcohol use in the most persuasive and creative manner -- USA Today Award, $1,000 - chosen by the USA Today Detroit staff from among the most persuasive commercials, as judged by middle school students -- USA Today Courageous Leader Award - presented to a special teacher for his or her extraordinary contribution to the Courageous Persuaders program -- State Farm Insurance Award, $1,000 - awarded to a Michigan-based entry -- American Red Cross, SE Michigan Chapter, $500 - awarded to Michigan- based entry The winning commercials with titles, students, schools and awards, are: Grand Prize Award Wizards Don't Drink Daniel Gianino Lake Orion HS, Lake Orion, Michigan First Place Award Memories Kyle Hagan Lake Orion HS, Lake Orion, Michigan Second Place Award Acquaintance Assault Nicholas Shimp Vicksburg HS, Vicksburg, Michigan Third Place Award You Do the Math Spencer Behm, Hanna Hotchkin and Dustin DeHart Concord HS, Concord, Michigan Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Scholarship Drunk Driving Affects Everyone Sarah Kielinen Lake Orion HS Lake Orion, Michigan Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Scholarship Drinking Leads to Cage Fighting Gregory Webb, Sean Barry, Jon Castle and Jacob Dobuque Royal Oak HS, Royal Oak, Michigan New York festivals Award Friends Equal Fun Lindsey Roesti McPherson HS, McPherson, Kansas Adcrafter Award Sober Man Chelsea, Christian, and Camryn Washington Homeschooled, Southfield, Michigan USA Today Award How to Say "No" Ryan Gatts Green Hope HS, Cary, North Carolina USA Today Courageous Leader Award Melissa Conklin Lenawee ISD Vo Tech Center State Farm Insurance Award Drink. Drive. Die. Daniel Svoboda Riverside Brookfield HS, Riverside, Illinois American Red Cross, SE Michigan Chapter Award Top Five List Chris Chen Troy HS, Troy, Michigan

Courageous Persuaders is a competition-based scholarship program that invites high school students to create a 30-second television commercial about the dangers of underage drinking. The commercials are targeted toward middle school-aged children, with the winning entries aired on television via streaming video on Community Media Network and placed on www.courageouspersuaders.com. Michigan's Secretary of State (SOS), the Honorable Terri Lynn Land, announced recently that winning entries will be shown in SOS branch offices statewide. Additionally, the Grand Prize-winning video will be shown on the Jumbo-Tron at the Palace of Auburn Hills during a Detroit Shock game on Wednesday, May 21.

"The students honored tonight represent our best hope for educating our next generation about the dangers of alcohol abuse," said DADA President Douglass Fox. "It is extremely rewarding to be a part of this program on a personal level, and as a representative of southeast Michigan's automotive retailing community."

In addition to the honorees, the program featured numerous local and statewide dignitaries, including Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, several county deputy sheriffs, Courage First Foundation Founder Judge Michael Martone, DADA President Douglass Fox, and McCann Erickson Senior Vice President John Barczyk. WDIV Channel 4 personality Guy Gordon served as master of ceremonies.

Preliminary judging was conducted by a panel from the Detroit Auto Dealers Association. The panel identifies the top 60 contenders, and those entries are then reviewed by students at middle schools, who complete questionnaires addressing video content and persuasiveness. This year, there were 17 middle schools that participated in the evaluation process, including 8 Michigan middle schools. Results of the questionnaires determined the winners.

The Courageous Persuaders program was created in 2000 by Oakland County District Judge Michael Martone and John Barczyk, a local McCann-Erickson advertising executive. In 2007, the DADA became the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders program through its DADA Education Foundation.

About McCann Erickson

McCann Erickson's Birmingham, Mich./Los Angeles Cal. office creates advertising and integrated marketing communications programs for Saab; General Motors Corporation (Corporate Advertising); Delphi; Honeywell Consumer Product Group's Prestone, FRAM and Autolite divisions; Travel Michigan; Karmanos Cancer Institute; Nestle; Northrop Grumman; Matrixx; Bumble Bee; and a variety of other clients. McCann Worldgroup is the world's largest multinational advertising agency system, with operations in 131 countries. It is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. To find out more about McCann Erickson, visit its Web site at www.mccann.com.

About Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA)

The DADA was founded in 1907 by 17 local car dealers, and has grown to more than 250 member car and truck dealers who donate their time and resources to a host of community activities. Currently, the DADA members collectively employ more than 16,500 people. Many members participate in the NAIAS, LLC which is responsible for the production of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The most significant charitable venture of the DADA is the annual NAIAS Charity Preview, which has raised more than $71 million for children's charities in southeastern Michigan since 1976. To find out more about the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, visit www.dada.org. To find out more about the North American International Auto Show, visit .