Banks across the nation will begin accepting entries for the American Bankers Association Foundation’s 12th annual Lights, Camera, Save! video contest on Mon., Feb 21. Lights, Camera, Save! is a national contest that encourages teens to use video to communicate the value of sound money management. This free competition is one of the ABA Foundation’s most popular financial education initiatives.
Teen contestants are asked to create a 30-second or less video that highlights the importance of using money wisely and submit it to a local participating bank. The contest is open to young videographers of all experience levels. Participating banks across the country will be accepting entries through March 31. To find a list of participating banks, click here.
Registered banks will host the first round of judging and select a winning student to compete on the national level for several awards, including a grand prize of $5,000, $3,000 for the second-place winner and $1,000 for the third-place winner. National contestants will then go head-to-head on ABA’s Instagram page to determine which videos advance to the final round of national judging. Last year, 117 banks hosted 133 contests in 47 states in one of the most competitive Lights, Camera, Save! contests ever. [View the 2021 winning video]
“Lights, Camera, Save! is a great opportunity for banks nationwide to engage local students on critically important topics like how to use money wisely and plan for a strong financial future,” said Jeni Pastier, director of youth financial education programs for the ABA Foundation. “Each year, students find new and creative ways to communicate finance-friendly messaging through video, and I look forward to seeing this year’s entries from across the U.S.”
Students interested in entering the Lights, Camera Save! competition can learn more about the contest at lightscamerasave.com. Any bank interested in participating in the contest can still sign up online at aba.com/lightscamerasave.
Since 1997, the ABA Foundation’s financial education initiatives have reached 11.6 million young people through more than 375,000 banker lessons. The Foundation’s other financial education programs include Get Smart About Credit, Teach Children to Save and Safe Banking for Seniors. All programs are provided at no cost and both ABA members and non-members are eligible to participate.