http://www.cancer.org.au/originalskin

Original Skin Competition


We are looking for the best writing, images and short films that show us untanned skin is in this summer. This is your chance to get creative and share sun protection messages in an engaging and innovative way.

If you’re at high school, enter a short film, an image or a creative writing piece based on the theme ‘original skin’ and be in the running for some fantastic prizes. Schools, classes and groups can also create their own blog to showcase their entries.

Entries close 5pm on Friday, 30 September 2011.

Download the promotional competition flyer.
http://www.cancer.org.au/File/Cancersmartlifestyle/Original_Skin_flyer_Final.pdf


Original Skin Competition - Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in each category, as deemed by our judges. If a group submits one entry, they will only receive one prize, so you will need to determine how it will be shared. There is also a school prize which will be drawn from schools who submit five or more entries. If your school, class or group submits a blog, each blog post will be judged as an individual entry.

    First prize: Slazenger sports packs valued at $520 each. The pack includes a tennis racket and a cricket bat.
    Second prize: iLuv Audio Cube iPad Speaker Docks, also compatible with iPhone and iPod valued at $180 each
    Third prize:  Moosehead urban hair packs valued at $65 each
    School prize: A Star Outdoor Marquee with your school’s name on it.

All prize winners will also receive a Cancer Council sunscreen pack valued at $50.


Original Skin Competition - How to enter

Follow these steps to enter:

Entries close at 5.00pm on Friday, 30 September 2011.

    Decide which category or categories to enter. (We’ll accept one entry per category.)
    Decide whether you will do an individual or group project.
    Read the fine print below to make sure you work within the competition guidelines, particularly regarding the length and size of your entry.
    Get to work on your short film, image or creative writing piece and show Australia why we should keep our original skin.
    Classes, groups and schools can consider creating a blog to showcase their entries. Each blog post will be judged as an individual entry.
    Download the entry form here. http://www.cancer.org.au/File/Cancersmartlifestyle/OriginalSkin_Entryform.doc
    Ask a supervising adult (parent, teacher or youth worker) to check and endorse your entry. (He or she will need to sign your entry form.)
    Email your entry (or entries) as an email attachment to originalskin@cancer.org.au  (Make sure your overall message size does not exceed 3MB.) If you have created a blog, simply email the URL.
    Sit back and wait for winners to be announced during National Skin Cancer Action Week: 20-26 November 2011.

The fine print:

    All entries must be submitted in English.
    Your work must be original and promote sensible sun protection. Make sure any music is original, so you don’t breach copyright law. (You can find royalty free music at www.jamendo.com)
   Contributors must be between 12-18 years at the time of application, and residents of Australia.
    You can enter as an individual in your own time at home, or as a school student as part of a school initiated project. You can enter as a group under the banner of a school project or a youth organisation.
    You must submit a completed entry form endorsed by a supervising adult (parent, teacher or youth worker) including their contact details.
    Your contribution must be suitable for children under 15. Please make sure your entry does not contain swearing or sexual or violent content. Get your supervising adult to check it.
    If your work is chosen as a winning entry, your supervising adult will be contacted by Cancer Council Australia to validate your entry.
    Winners names will be made public. Entry constitutes permission to put your winning material on our website and publicise it.
   You can submit one entry only per category.
    Entries will not be returned.
    Entries which do not comply with the guidelines/ terms and conditions will automatically be disqualified.


Creative writing category:

    Text (stories or poems) must be no longer than 500 words.
    Entries should be typed.

Image category:

    Images can be photos or posters. Digitally altered images are accepted.
    Images must be clearly visible, and no larger than 1024x768 resolution.
    You can submit an individual image, or an image essay – a sequence of three images that tells a story. Three images maximum.
    You can add captions if you wish.
    You must seek permission from any people who appear in your photos.
    Images will only be accepted via email (not post).

Short film:

    Movies can be video or animation and should be no longer than two minutes.
    You can include text in your movie.
    Your movie should be no larger than 3MB.
    If you use music, it should be original rather than copied from professional artists unless you get the relevant permission. Be careful not to breach copyright law.

Blog entries:

    Schools, classes or other groups may submit their entries via a blog.
    Each entry uploaded on to the blog will be judged as an individual entry.


Original Skin Competition - Get inspired

Stuck for a good idea? Check out the best entries from last year on our Facebook page. We asked students to ‘bust a myth’ about skin cancer:

    The best creative writing from 2010.
    The best images from 2010.
    The best videos from 2010.


Also make sure you check out the resources on our website. There’s a lot of great information about skin cancer and sun protection. Explore our SunSmart campaigns.

Remember your work needs to be original. You can find royalty-free music at www.jamendo.com


Original Skin Competition - Teacher's guide

In addition to the information below, we have produced a curriculum guide to help teachers work the competition into lesson plans. Download the Teacher's Curriculum Guide here.
About the competition

This competition is open to all Australian secondary high school students aged 12 to 18 years. Cancer Council is looking for the best writing, image and short films that promote anti-tanning messages. This is an opportunity for your students to get creative while engaging with sun protection messages.

Your students can enter as a group or individually. Entries can be pretend or real. They can even be animated. They can funny, serious or thoughtful. Ideas can be recorded on a still or video digital camera. They can be a written description or a series of images with captions. It can be set in any location such as the park, pool or sporting field, and can include friends, family or community members (with their permission, of course).
Why get involved?

Benefits to students
A chance for 12-17 year-olds to get creative and share sun protection messages in an engaging and innovative way.

Benefits to schools
A fun approach to skin cancer and an opportunity to combine language, ICT, marketing, health and personal development skills in one project.

The aims of the competition are to:

    Engage Australian teenagers in SunSmart messages.
    Change teenagers’ attitudes to tanning.
    Reduce the future incidence of skin cancer in Australia.


The theme: original skin

Skin, the body’s biggest organ, comes in shades of porcelain pale to devastatingly dark and everything inbetween. Some people will do anything to change their natural skin color from whitening creams and fake tans to sunbaking and solariums. Vanity like that can cause serious skin aging and may result in paying the ultimate price…your life.
So why not be kind to the skin you’re in?

We want you to challenge the idea that a tan is beautiful. Show us that you can be healthy and happy with your natural skin colour. Whatever your natural shade; pale, dark, white, brown or black, show us that you love ‘original skin’.
The task

Our judges will pick first, second and third prize winners from each category:

    Short film – Produce a video or animation in under two minutes.
    Image – Take a photo or create an electronic poster to illustrate your message.
    Creative writing – Write a short story or poem up to 500 words.

You can also consider designing a skin-savvy blog using students’ articles, videos, animations and graphics. Each blog post will be judged as a separate entry and eligible for a prize.

Consider the following messages:

    A tan is unhealthy.
    Love your natural skin colour.
    You’ll look better if you protect your skin from the sun.