Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Board Announces Video Scholarship Contest for Delaware High School Students

NEW CASTLE (April 3, 2023) – Delaware’s Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Board announced today the start of its 2023 Organ Donor Awareness Video Scholarship Contest, with a total of up to $5,000 in scholarships available to Delaware high school students. The board funds the video public service contest to raise awareness among young people about the importance of becoming a designated organ and tissue donor.

The video public service scholarship contest is open to Delaware high students in grades 9 through 12, who are urged to create a one- to two-minute video public service announcement about the importance of organ and tissue donation. As part of their entry, students are encouraged to interview a transplant patient or organ recipient. The deadline for video entries, which will be judged on creativity, accuracy, and positive messaging, is April 21, 2023. Winners in each county will receive a $1,000 first-place scholarship or a $500 second-place scholarship.

To learn more about the contest or to submit entries, visit: OrganDonorVidsDE.com.

“In our state, only about 50% of Delawareans are designated organ and tissue donors on their driver’s licenses or state IDs,” said Jill Fredel, Chair of the Delaware Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Board and a kidney donor. “During Donation Life Month, we want to encourage more young people to say ‘yes’ to becoming designated donors, a status they are likely to keep for the rest of their lives. This scholarship contest offers high school students a way to use their creativity and positive spirit to communicate the importance of organ and tissue donation to other young people.”

April is National Donate Life Month, when individuals are encouraged to become designated organ and tissue donors, and donors and donor families are honored. To learn more about organ and tissue donation, visit Gift of Life.

The contest is organized by the Delaware Department of Education and Gift of Life, a regional donor program that serves Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and promotes the value of organ and tissue donations.

To register to become a designated organ and tissue donor in Delaware, visit a local Division of Motor Vehicles location or register online.