Congratulations, 2025 Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest Winners!

Congratulations to West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Jacksonville University, and Dartmouth College for winning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place, respectively, in the 2025 Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest, cosponsored by DEA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The winners were announced during NASPA’s Strategies Conference on January 16 in Chicago.

 

1st Place – West Chester University of Pennsylvania

A metaphor relating student health and well-being to a puzzle earned West Chester University of Pennsylvania a 1st place plaque, $5,000 to support their campus’s drug misuse prevention efforts, and a trip to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ 2026 Strategies Conference.

“Life Is a Puzzle: Choose the Right Pieces” features one student offering another student an alcoholic beverage at a party. The second student hesitatingly accepts the drink but is confused upon reaching into the glass and pulling out a puzzle piece.

“Some pieces look like they belong,” the narrator says. “But happiness that lasts was never poured from a bottle or packed into a pill….So if you’re holding onto a piece that doesn’t quite fit, don’t force it.”

The WCU team uses puzzle graphics to piece together a montage of students studying, playing sports, and other healthier alternatives to substance use before the original two students are shown pouring out the drink’s puzzles pieces onto the floor.

“We wanted to enter the contest to allow students to gain experience translating a message into consumable content and use their voices creatively to make a positive impact on their own campus,” explained Bridget Looby, WCU’s Assistant Director of Wellness Promotion. “Further, our department is currently utilizing a logic model that focuses on alcohol and other drugs, and this opportunity allows our team to address drug misuse and substance-free choices.”

“Entering the contest is valuable because it challenges the team to think creatively about an issue that affects our campus community and the importance of sharing this message with other students.”

 

2nd Place – Jacksonville University

A dynamic contrast between the dangers of drug use and the opportunities awaiting those who choose not to partake landed Jacksonville University a 2nd place plaque and $3,000 to support their drug misuse prevention efforts on campus.

“Sober Is the New Sexy” opens with chilling figures regarding the death toll of substance use interspersed with dark party visuals atop the sound of a slow-beating heart. Suddenly, the scene lightens up as a group of students walks “onstage” and begins dancing.

“I was on site the day of filming, and to say I was impressed is an understatement,” said Wendy Parrish, Director of College Operations and Executive Administrator at Jacksonville University’s Linda Berry Stein College of Arts and Sciences. “The students showed up and gave 100% of their time and energy to creating the best possible PSA video. They rehearsed and filmed until almost midnight, perfecting the scenes and dance moves.”

“They told you this is what fun looks like…but this is what fun feels like,” the narrator says during the transition. “No hangover, no blackout, no fake highs, just rhythm, confidence, and remembering every single moment.”

Parrish revealed that, prior to DEA’s 2025 Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest, Jacksonville University hosted its own competition, inviting its undergraduate students to submit a pitch for the DEA contest entry. A panel of judges selected the pitch of theatre and visual design major Agija Elerte.

“I wanted to challenge the notion that having fun or feeling confident and attractive must involve alcohol or drugs,” said Elerte. “I believe that owning the dance floor, being fully present, and expressing oneself through movement is far more powerful than passing out on a couch due to overconsumption.”

“In recent years, far too many lives have been lost to drug poisoning and spiked drinks. If this PSA can help raise awareness and potentially save even one life, then the project has been entirely worthwhile to me. Most importantly, this message is personal. I have experienced what it means to be drugged, and it is something I would never wish upon anyone. Through this work, I hope to encourage safer spaces, informed choices, and a culture where enjoyment does not come at the cost of one’s well-being….Music, dance, and art carry freedom, expression, and influence, and I am committed to using them responsibly to inspire people to say NO to what does not serve their lives, and to remind them that it is not only acceptable but empowering to do so.”

 

3rd Place – Dartmouth College

A creative reminder to students that they can ask for help propelled Dartmouth College to scoring a 3rd place plaque and $1,000 to support its campus’s drug misuse prevention efforts.

In “It Starts with a Conversation,” a student at Dartmouth’s Wellness Center is asked to share something that makes him proud. The video cuts to a flashback of a late-night phone call between the distressed student and his dad, showcasing the seconds leading up to the student admitting he has a drug problem.

“One thing that I’m proud of is…I…ask for help,” says the student back in the Wellness Center.

“The concept was developed collaboratively with the students and centers on the message that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness,” said Ethaniel Banzon, the Alcohol Management Program Coordinator at Dartmouth’s Student Wellness Center. “The video highlights the vulnerability involved in opening up about potential substance misuse and the pressures students often face in a college environment. Ultimately, the goal is to normalize help-seeking behaviors and reinforce that many support systems are available on campus.”

Congratulations again to West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Jacksonville University, and Dartmouth College!