Shoot a PSA -- for a very good cause....

Every year, thousands of people across the globe are affected by international disasters:

* This past Sunday, the flooding in Indonesia
* Genocide in Darfur
* Tsunami in Asia
* Toxic dumping in Cote d’Ivoire
* Increased violence in the Middle East



And every year disaster victims receive donated items they cannot use. For instance, cans of spam or t-shirts sent to Muslim countries are culturally inappropriate and expensive to ship abroad. Americans are very generous donators to relief efforts, but while well-intended, the generosity can often be misplaced. We need to educate the public that “cash is best” when dealing with international disaster relief, and the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) is doing just that.



University film students across the nation are getting together to participate in the Center for International Disaster Information’s (CIDI) challenge to inspire and motivate the general public to support U.S. organized international disaster relief campaigns and encourage them to respond properly by giving cash donations to international disaster relief efforts.



CIDI, a federally-funded organization, has launched its second annual public service announcement (PSA) contest for U.S. university students called “PSAid: Public Service Announcements for International Disasters”. PSAid is challenging all U.S.-based university students to create a 30-second PSA that demonstrates appropriate international disaster relief and relays the message that “cash is best”. Not only will college students have the chance to win apart of $20,000 in cash prizes and gain national recognition, but they will be making a difference in the lives of international disaster victims. All entrees are due by April 2, 2007.



Students are asked to submit their entries digitally at www.psaid.org. This interactive website not only provides students with helpful production tools such as logos, stock images, common myths and FAQs, but will also allow them to participate in the selection process by blogging about entries, posting submissions to their social network pages such as MySpace and Facebook, and ultimately voting on their top choices.