I don’t usually post the winners of “teen” video contest because as you’d expect, all the entries are shot by goofy kids and the winning videos are pretty much guaranteed to suck.  But all of the winners of Bridgestone’s “2013 Teens Drive Smart” contest are actually kind of great.  For this contest, teens were supposed to create short films about the importance of Safe driving.  The top winners will all receive scholarships to the schools of their choice.

Bridgestone wound up getting more than 1,000 entries for this contest.  A public vote determined a set of 10 finalists and then a panel of judges selected the winners.  After the voting ended, Bridgestone awarded the grand prize to a young lady named Nicole Ricketts.  Her bio says she’s currently perusing a degree in Business Administration.  And that’s a damn shame because this girl is a natural born filmmaker.  Her video is beautifully shot and perfectly edited.  This ad alone could probably get her accepted by pretty much any film school in the country.  So hopefully she’ll take her scholarship money and transfer to UCLA, ASAP.

First Place Winner.  Prize:  $25,000 scholarship:

-
Bridgestone stays there’s a chance they may actually air that video as a PSA so you might actually see it on TV some day.  I was kind of surprised to hear that the finalists in this contest were picked through a public vote because all of the other winners are pretty good too.  I was particularly impressed by the writing and the effects in the video that won 3rd place:
-
Third Place Winner.  Prize:  $10,000 Scholarship:

-
If you’re a big fan of teen-made short films about safe driving habits, you can head here to watch the rest of Bridgestone’s Top 10.
-