Video contest promotes off-highway vehicle safety and land stewardship

Photo by Joyce Kuzmanic, St. George News

The Second Annual Ride On! Video Challenge is now open through May 14. Utah students of all ages may submit their creative and educational videos promoting safe and responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) use and stewardship of School and Institutional Trust Lands.

“Off-highway vehicles are a great way for families to enjoy Utah’s spectacular beauty,” said Greg Miller, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group, in launching the contest. “Learning good land stewardship and safety at an early age is essential to ensuring generations of Utahns can enjoy this sport.”

Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA) and Utah State Parks and Recreation co-sponsor the challenge, in collaboration with the Larry H. Miller Group.

“Many people don’t realize that responsible OHV use can translate into increased school funding, but there is a connection,” said Kevin Carter, director of SITLA. “Local school community councils receive funds from the wise management of SITLA land. They decide how the money will be spent to benefit their local school.” Respecting SITLA land benefits schools and the environment.

The Challenge: Students create videos and include OHV stewardship and safety messages. The Utah OHV Advisory Council select winners in each of these categories: Elementary; junior/middle school, high school and post-secondary. Cash prizes are awarded for first place in each category. Students can earn $500 for themselves, plus an additional $500 for their teacher and $500 for their school. Second and third place earn gift cards. No tax dollars are used for prizes.

A new “People’s Choice” category was added this year to encourage students to complete their videos early to get more views on the Ride On! YouTube video channel. The People’s Choice award is also $500 cash.

Utah State Parks and Recreation is the state’s off-highway vehicle authority, providing safety, education, access enforcement and search and rescue.

“As OHV riders, we’re always learning,” said Utah State Parks Interim Director Fred Hayes. “The RideOn! video contest is a great way for students to teach and remind us all about safe and responsible riding in Utah.”

Last year, students from across Utah showed great creativity with their videos. They used everything from clay figures to active demonstrations to communicate the importance of safety and stewardship. More information and last year’s winning videos are available at www.stateparks.utah.gov/rideonvideocontest.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.