$1,000 Prize Offered for Healthy Swimming Video

$1,000 prize will be given to the winning video in the CDC's Healthy Swimming Video Contest. Photo from the CDC

By Robin G. Pilus

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is offering a $1000 prize to one talented videographer for making a short, creative video that promotes the simple steps everyone can take to ensure a healthy swimming experience.

According to the CDC, the video could be wrap, sketch, dance, slide show or anything you want it to be as long as it includes the four CDC’s healthy swimming messages and  is appropriate for all audiences.

Guidelines (including the four healthy swimming messages) are posted at the Healthy Swimming Video Contest Website. 

In addition to the $1000 prize, the winner’s video will be seen by thousands of people on the CDC website.

The contest is part of the CDC’s 7th annual Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week which is from May 23-29.  This year’s emphasis is on helping to prevent swimmer’s ear, which is a common and painful illness that effects swimmer’s of all ages.

Swimmer’s ear (Acute otitis externa- AOE)  is inflammation of the external auditory canal most often caused by bacterial infection and is characterized by pain, tenderness, redness, and swelling of the external ear canal.

According to the CDC, and astounding 1 in 123 individuals were medically treated for AOE in 2007 causing a burden on the system that could be avoided through education and more careful preventative measures.   With a mean cost of $200 per nonhospitalized AOE visit, estimated annual direct health-care payments totaled $489 million.

The deadline to submit a Healthy Swimming Video is  July 04, 2011 11:59 PM EDT and the winner will be announced on July 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDT.   

For more information, or to submit a video visit the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Video Website.