Keep America Beautiful Announces Winners of America Recycles Day 2011 “Recycling is No Joke!” Video Contest

Winning videos used creativity and humor to stress the importance of daily recycling

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 22, 2011) — Recycling is no joke, and neither was Keep America Beautiful’s first-ever America Recycles Day video contest. Entrants were asked to create a funny, short video that showed recycling in a positive light.

Over the past two months, entrants of all ages submitted a total of 80 videos starring creative characters from recycling superheroes to talking bottles and cans.  Creative submissions took the form of rap songs, skits, one-liners, animations and more.  Have a little fun today by taking a look at the contest winners, located at YouTube.com/AmericaRecyclesDay.

The America Recycles Day judging committee selected the top 10 videos based on creativity and use of the “Recycling is no Joke” theme. These top 10 videos were posted on YouTube and the public was asked to vote for their favorite. In total, the videos received over 18,000 views.

With 554 votes, Ryan Francis’ great rap mix -- with recyclables creating the percussive background music -– won first place, a cash prize of $1,000. The second-place winner with 533 votes was created by William Mosquera and Shardrack Agyeman, also a rap that encouraged everyone to recycle “Like a Boss.”

The America Recycles Day judging committee also selected two honorable mention awards. Students from Hollis Hands Elementary School in LaGrange, Ga., were recognized for being “youngest in the top 10.”  And Jake Jurich’s time traveling recycler earned judges’ honors for its use of cinematography, special effects and pure creativity.

America Recycles Day, officially recognized each November 15, celebrates the success and potential of recycling in the United States. Keep America Beautiful applauds all entrants for their efforts to encourage recycling and for reminding all of us that “recycling is no joke” -- it benefits the economy, creates green jobs, protects our environment, and saves energy.

America’s leading companies and organizations support recycling through sponsorships and partnerships with America Recycles Day 2011: Alcoa, Inc.; American Chemistry Council; Anheuser-Busch; Earth911.com; Disney’s Friends for Change; The Glad Products Company; Johnson & Johnson; LG Electronics U.S.A.; Nestlé Waters North America; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; PepsiCo; and Waste Management.
 

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. To join America Recycles Day, visit americarecyclesday.org. To learn more about Keep America Beautiful, visit www.kab.org.

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