Connecticut teenagers have a chance to create a public service announcement and earn cash and other prizes in the Teen Safe Driving Video contest, now in its eighth year. The contest is open to submissions until January.

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles and Travelers Insurance are sponsoring the contest, which has a theme of "When Shifting Into Drive, Keep the Safety of Others in Mind" for 2015. The topic was chosen by five student advisors, who said teen drivers need to be aware of their surroundings and other drivers when making decisions on the road.

"We think this is an important theme for students to embrace because it involves the safety of everyone on the road," said DMV Commissioner Andres Ayala, Jr. "Keeping our roads safe is critical for all drivers regardless of age."

Rules

The contest is open to all students between the ages of 14 and 18 who are attending a public or private high school in Connecticut or are homeschooled in the state. Students with relatives who are employees of the DMV or the contest sponsors and judges are ineligible.

Videos created for the contest must be exactly 25 seconds long, incorporate this year's theme, and address at least two teen driving laws. In Connecticut, these laws include a night driving curfew and restrictions on using a cell phone or driving with passengers.

Teams are limited to five members, including the student director. The PSA needs to feature at least two teenagers. Other adults and teens can appear in the video, but will not be considered eligible for prizes.

The DMV also requires the PSAs to have a multicultural or diversity component including age, disability, gender, race, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation.

Videos can "artistically" portray a violation of driving laws, but students must abide by all federal, state, and local laws when driving on public roads. These laws must also be followed in public parking lots unless the lot is closed for filming by local or state police. Any student driving a vehicle for a PSA must be a licensed driver.

Entries from previous years are not eligible for the contest, and duplicate entries will be disqualified. The PSA cannot include any copyrighted material, including music, and cannot use nudity, profanity, or portray anyone under the age of 21 drinking or pretending to drink alcohol.

A complete entry should include an entry form, release forms from each team member and their parent or guardian, release forms from anyone who appears in the video, and the PSA itself on a DVD. Entries should be mailed to the DMV headquarters in Wethersfield and postmarked no later than Jan. 12, 2016.

Prizes

A panel of judges including state officials, health experts, and safety advocates will determine five finalists to receive prizes. The PSAs will be judged on overall impact, originality, and cinematic style.

Travelers Insurance will award a total of $15,000 to high schools with the top five videos. The winning school will receive $5,000, second place will receive $4,000, third place will receive $3,000, fourth place will receive $2,000, and fifth place will receive $1,000. Another $1,000 will go to the school with the video that receives the most views on YouTube. Schools must agree to use this money for educational programs on safe teen driving.

The members of the winning team will also receive tablets and other gifts from Travelers Insurance. Prepaid Visa cards worth $125 will be awarded to the individual members of the teams in second through fifth place, while $100 cards will be awarded to individuals in the sixth through 10th place teams.

Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital is underwriting another $1,000 cash prize for the video with the best multicultural message. AT&T Connecticut will also provide prizes for the contest.

For a complete set of rules, visit ct.gov/teendriving/contest. PSAs that previously won the contest can be viewed at youtube.com/teensafedriving12.