2015 Ben Vereen Awards Announce Student Health Initiative Essay Contest; Deadline Today

Ben Vereen and Broadway/San Diego are pleased to announce the inaugural Student Health Initiative Essay Contest as part of the 2015 Ben Vereen Awards (BVA) High School Musical Theatre Competition, sponsored by San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU), takes place Sunday, April 26 at 5 PM at the Historic Balboa Theatre.

All San Diego County high school students are invited to enter the Student Health Initiative Essay Contest and share their story entitled "The Moment I Changed My Life for the Better." The focus of the essay will be on key topics of obesity, diabetes, low self-esteem or bullying, and can be submitted via a written or video essay.

"I am so pleased to be working with Broadway/San Diego and the community on something that's dear to my heart; helping our young people to change their life for the better through the performing arts," says Vereen. "My hope is that the Inaugural Student Health Initiative Essay Contest will create a new path for them to find the theatre as a welcoming, nurturing, and supportive environment to excel in, and that these stories will in turn help others live a better life as a result of the arts," he added.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

Category 1: Individual Essay Projects: All currently enrolled San Diego County high school students, Grades 9 through 12 are eligible to enter a video (2 minutes maximum) or written essay (2 pages maximum). The top 5 individual essays win a $500 award provided by SDCCU.

Category 2: Theatre Department Projects: Collaborative projects which are inspired by the topics above and sponsored by a local high school performing arts or creative writing teacher, are also eligible to enter and are encouraged to incorporate music, dance and theatre and must submit a video entry (5 minutes maximum). The top theatre department video entry will win a $1,000 award provided by SDCCU.

Selected essays may be used to create a live musical theatre piece for presentation at The 2015 Ben Vereen Awards.

Written and video essays can be submitted by completing the entry form online. The Deadline for submissions is Saturday, February 28th. For complete details, rules and guidelines, visit the Student Health Initiative page on the Ben Vereen Awards website at: www.BenVereenAwards.com.

Tickets are now on sale to the 2nd Annual Ben Vereen Awards San Diego Competition where 20 student nominees will perform, and the top 10 (5 male and 5 female finalists) will then compete at the Southwest Region BVA competition in Tucson on May 24. The two top students (Best Actor and Best Actress) from that competition will go on to compete at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York this June. The two top national winners each will receive a $10,000 award towards a college scholarship.

Deadline for high schools to apply to compete at the Ben Vereen Awards is January 31st, 2015. There are currently 15 high schools participating and will accept up to 25 eligible schools.

Tickets or the 2015 Ben Vereen Awards San Diego competition can be purchased online at www.BenVereenAwards.com or in-person at the San Diego Theatres Advance Ticket Sale Windows located at 1100 Third Ave @ B Street, or by calling (619) (760) (858) 570-1100 weekdays. The Ben Vereen Awards/San Diego Competition will be held on Sunday, April 26th at 5pm at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Avenue @ E Street.