'Get Screened' Video Contest Throws a Spotlight on the Importance of Colorectal-Cancer Screening
SEATTLE, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
today announced a video contest called "Get Screened" -- a creative challenge
to movie makers to help shine a spotlight on the importance of
colorectal-cancer screening. The contest is part of the Hutchinson Center's
ongoing awareness campaign -- "Your colon. Your life. Your call." -- to
increase colon-cancer screening rates and reduce deaths from the disease in
Washington state.
Colon cancer is the third most-commonly diagnosed cancer and the
second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. An estimated 49,960
Americans, including 940 Washington state residents, will die of the disease
this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
"Most of these deaths could be prevented if the disease were caught early.
We're launching this video contest to help increase awareness about the
importance of early detection and motivate people to get screened," said Lee
Hartwell, Ph.D., president and director of the Hutchinson Center.
The contest is open to movie makers age 18 and older. Film or video
submissions must be either 30 seconds or 60 seconds in length and can be in
any style or genre, including animation, drama, still art, imagery, comedy or
documentary. Entries will be judged on five criteria: originality, creativity,
concept, information and overall presentation. All entries are due by Jan. 15,
2009.
The top 15 entries will be posted to YouTube.com in February and the
public will be allowed to view each finalist's submission and to post
comments. Each finalist will be evaluated by a panel of celebrity judges.
In mid-March five winning entries will be announced: one grand prize
($2,500), two first-runners-up ($1,000) and two second-runners-up ($500). The
winning videos and finalists will also be posted on the campaign Web site and
be screened at a public event.
The winning videos will incorporate some or all of the following messages:
* Getting screened for colon cancer can save your life
* The risk of colon cancer increases around age 50
* Ask your doctor about the importance of colon-cancer screening
* Encourage anyone you know around age 50 to get screened for colon cancer
Screening and early detection are crucial because people with colon cancer
may be asymptomatic for many years, and precancerous lesions or polyps may
take 10 years to transform from benign to malignant. If routine screening via
colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy detects a precancerous polyp, it can be
removed immediately.
In addition to the contest rules, the site provides a tool for calculating
one's risk for colon cancer and information about the latest recommended
screening options and guidelines, among many other life-saving resources.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of
world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose
and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including
three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health,
knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information,
please visit fhcrc.org.
