Take if From a Teen - Rail Safety Video Challenge
Thank you for your interest in our Take it from a Teen Challenge. As you saw in the video, Safe Kids and Union Pacific are joining together to provide teenagers with an opportunity to inspire their fellow teens to be safer around train tracks. Plus, a chance to win $200 or even $1,000!
How to Enter
All you have to do is film a 45 – 60 second video that addresses at least one of the safety tips below and submit the video to your local Safe Kids coalition. Your video can be a song, a rap, a short film. It can be funny or serious or both – whatever you think is the best way to reach your fellow teens.
Please contact Gary Karton at Safe Kids Worldwide in advance to see if your area is eligible to participate and to get more details about the deadline for submissions.
How you Win
Each participating coalition will choose a local winner, who will receive a $200 prize. All local winners will automatically qualify for the national competition where a panel of judges will select a grand prize winner, who will receive $1,000! The national winner will be contacted in June 2023. The final video will be promoted by Safe Kids Worldwide during national Rail Safety Week in September 2023.
Judging Criteria
Want to know how you’re going to be graded? Video submissions will be judged on the following criteria on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.
- Safety messaging – Content is most important
- Creativity – Jingles, Storytelling, Song
- Adherence to time limit – 45 - 60 seconds
- Adherence to contest rules
Please note, filming on a phone is perfectly fine. The judges are going to be looking for content, creativity, and persuasive messaging more than the quality of the video. Plus, if you win the grand prize, a professional film crew will travel to your hometown to professionally recreate the video.
Contest Rules
- All videos must only include:
- Appropriate language or gestures
- Safe actions, and not dangerous activities like walking on or near the tracks
- Appropriate dress
- Team entries are allowed (prizes must be shared)
Thank you so much for your creativity. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Good luck!
Safety Tips
For Walkers
- Only cross railroad tracks at a designated crossing. Designated crossings are marked by a sign, lights or a gate.
- Look both ways before crossing railroad tracks. Remember, trains can come from either direction at any time.
- If lights are flashing or the gate is down at a railroad crossing, wait for the train to pass completely before crossing. It is never okay to rush across and try to beat the train. Trains may be closer and faster than you think.
- After a train passes the crossing completely, wait for the gate to come back up and the lights to stop flashing. Then look both ways again before crossing to be sure a second train is not coming. A second train may be hidden behind the first one.
- If you are using a cell phone, headphones or a game, remember: heads up, devices down when you cross the tracks. Here is an important fact for everyone to understand: It can take a mile for a train to stop. So when you see a train, it’s already too late for it to stop for you. Headphones should be removed, so you can hear an approaching train’s horn.
For Drivers
- Be alert near railroad crossings and stop for approaching trains. If the lights are flashing or the gate is down, wait for the train to pass before crossing. It is never okay to rush across and try to beat the train.
- When you see lights flashing, don’t be tempted to rush across to beat the train. Trains may be closer and faster than you think.
- Allow enough space for your vehicle to completely clear the entire railroad crossing, not just the tracks, before you attempt to cross. Remember, trains are at least three feet wider than the tracks on either side, so even though you clear the tracks, you may still get hit by the train.
- After a train passes the crossing completely, wait for the gate to come back up and the lights to stop flashing. Then look both ways again before you cross to be sure a second train is not coming in either direction. A second train may be hidden behind the first one.
