For more than a dozen years our Institute has joined other organizations to sponsor the Oregon Young Employee Safety (O[yes]) video contest. New for 2021 is the contest’s expansion and renaming as a Media Contest, with a new required theme. This event continues to be open to Oregon high school aged students as a way for them to create a message about the importance of workplace safety and health for their peers with submissions due no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, 2021.
The 2021 media contest invites participants to do the following:
1. Choose one of two themes: Hit by or pushed against an object OR Slips, trips, or falls on walking surfaces
2. Bring the chosen theme to life either by creating a video that is between 30 to 90 seconds in length or by developing a graphic design piece.
3. Incorporate a new tagline into the video or graphic design project: “Work. It can be more dangerous than you think.”
The top three entries in each of the two media categories will take home cash prizes ranging from $300 to $500. In each category, the first-place winner’s school, club, or organization will receive a matching award. This year some participants may create an original graphic design to share their message, while others may use a smart phone or camera to craft a video, as in previous years. O[yes] encourages entrants to tap their imaginations to create messages to inspire young workers to think twice about their personal health and safety at work. Contestants need to ensure the personal health and safety of their team. That includes avoiding endangering anyone during the creation of your project; ensuring entries do not depict unsafe behavior or show participants not following COVID-19 guidance; and following Oregon Health Authority guidance for COVID-19.
Participants are encouraged to submit entries online. Submissions may also be mailed on a USB thumb drive. Contest winners will be unveiled during a streaming event in spring 2021. For more information about the entry form and rules, contest expectations, and resources – including graphic design examples and 2020 finalist videos – visit the O[yes] online contest page.
The contest sponsors are local Oregon chapters of the American Society of Safety Professionals, Construction Safety Summit, Central Oregon Safety & Health Association, Hoffman Construction Company, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU, Oregon OSHA, SafeBuild Alliance, SAIF Corporation, and Oregon SHARP Alliance.
