The 2022 Red Ribbon Photo Contest Winners Announced

December 1st, 2022 – Miami, FL– The results are in! The National Family Partnership (NFP) is proud to announce the nineteen (19) winners of its 12th Annual National Red Ribbon Week® Photo Contest, held in conjunction with National Red Ribbon Week,® which takes place each year from October 23rd through 31st. Families and individuals who entered on behalf of their schools will receive an Apple iPad and a $1,000 donation will be made to the K-12 school of their choice in support of drug-free prevention education.

Sponsored by National Family Partnership (NFP) and co-sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the annual contest invites families and schools across the country to decorate the fronts of their homes and schools with a double-looped red ribbon to create awareness about the importance of staying drug-free. In addition to the double-looped red ribbon, all photo contest submissions were required to incorporate the 2022 campaign Theme, Celebrate Life. Live Drug Free. ™

NFP has been the leading organization in drug-free prevention for forty (40) years. NFP is committed to helping families and children reach their full potential and it is impossible to help without donations such as NIMCO. NIMCO is the only place families, children, and schools can purchase Red Ribbon Merchandise Theme material to support ongoing drug education in the schools.

Melissa Terlaje, a school counselor and advocate for Red Ribbon Week at Chinook in Auburn, Washington, submitted her photo on behalf of the school and received the School Judges Award. “This is a huge honor not only for my school but also for our district as this is the first year we’ve participated in Red Ribbon. Our staff and students had no idea what Red Ribbon was about,” she said. “Coming into the role as the school counselor this year, one of my goals was to educate my students on the importance of making healthy life choices. This will be the first of many participations in this event!”

The winning photos were among hundreds of entries uploaded to RedRibbon.org. Nine (9) winners received the most votes in their designated regions, and ten (10) winners were chosen from a list of categories that included: Most Creative, Best Use of Theme, Most Educational, Most Ambitious, Best Use of Family and Community, and Most Creative School.

"The Red Ribbon Campaign is a massive community engagement process,” said Peggy Sapp, President and CEO of Informed Families and Volunteer President of National Family Partnership. “It is how to decrease demand for drugs and increase awareness of health and safety.”

The DEA Field Officers from the five (5) divisions will be attending each school to present a check ceremony for the winning photos.

DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was murdered in 1985, is the inspiration behind the Red Ribbon Campaign. The campaign and contest are reminders about the importance of staying drug-free, and the contest aims to engage communities in a fun and interactive way.

Visit https://www.redribbon.org/contest/2022winners to view the nineteen (19) winning photos.

2022 Contest Winners

Regional Home Winners:

• Region 1 – Angela Mumford–Cambridge Springs, PA - Cambridge Springs Jr./Sr. High School
• Region 2 – Carolyn Greene– Albany, GA – International Studies Elementary Charter School
• Region 4 – Alicia Alvarado – Armed Forces Europe – Grafenwoehr Elementary School - Dodea
• Region 5 – Yung-Ching Lin – Saratoga, CA -- Saratoga High School

Regional School Winners:

• Region 1 – Kelly Sartre – Braintree, MA – Braintree High School
• Region 2 – Jennifer Moser and Jacqueline Ortiz– Miramar, FL– Glades Middle School
• Region 3 – Becky Hoffman – Lee’s Summit – Pleasant Lea Middle School
• Region 4 – Emily Loesch – Sugar Land, TX – Settlers Place Elementary
• Region 5 – Tiffany Farnsworth – Hyrum, Utah – Canyon Elementary School

Home Judges Awards:

• Most Creative – Mustafa Aydin – Greensboro, NC – Triad Math and Science Academy - Elementary
• Most Ambitious – Maria Izzo – Bernardsville, NJ – Bernads High School
• Best Use of Family and Community – Dan Trinh – Monterary Park, CA – Monterey Highlands Elementary School
• Best Use of Theme – Dinah Joy Bustamante – Folsom, California – Sandra J Gallardo Elementary School
• Most Educational – Hai Le – Fountain Valley, CA – Monroe Elementary Language Academy

School Judges Awards:

• Most Creative –Melissa Terlaje – Auburn, Washington – Chinook Elementary School
• Most Ambitious – Allison Kennedy – Newbury Park, CA -- Banyan Elementary School
• Best Use of Family and Community –Darby Scalf – Walton, IN – Lewis Cass Elementary
• Best Use of Theme – Tamara Thornton –Hughson, CA – Fox Road Elementary School
• Most Educational – Perihan Akcan – Greensboro, NC -- Triad Math and Science Academy - Secondary School

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About the National Family Partnership

The National Family Partnership was established in 1980 and is a national leader in drug prevention, education, and advocacy. Its mission is to lead our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign. NFP created the campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. In addition to the Red Ribbon Campaign®, NFP sponsors the Lock Your Meds® Campaign to prevent prescription drug abuse. Learn more about Red Ribbon Week at www.redribbon.org and NFP at www.nfp.org.

RESCHEDULED- The Drug Enforcement Administration will hold its annual National Red Ribbon Rally virtually this year. Our virtual rally will premiere on https://www.dea.gov on October 20, 2022, at 12:00pm PST and be available to share throughout the month of October.

This year’s Red Ribbon Rally features voices from our community and special guests who represent diverse experiences and perspectives on drug prevention and Red Ribbon activism, including youth performances that celebrate living drug-free. The DEA will recognize the 2021 Red Ribbon Photo Contest Winners co-sponsored by National Family Partnership. In addition, we will recognize the elementary, middle, and high school winners of the DEA Red Ribbon Visual Arts Contest, and announce the community groups selected to receive DEA’s 2022 Community Drug Prevention Award.

During Red Ribbon Week, young people in communities and schools across the nation pledge to live drug-free by wearing red ribbons and participating in anti-drug events. Red Ribbon Week is also a time to pay tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, whose tragic murder led to the creation of the Red Ribbon Campaign. He is the man and hero behind the Red Ribbon Campaign. Today, millions of Americans all over the United States continue to wear red ribbons to symbolize their support for a united, drug-free nation.

Tickets are not required. No need to RSVP.
Spread the word. Everyone is invited.
Click the link below to download the invitation:
https://admin.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/2022-Red-Ribbon-Rally-Invite-2.pdf
Any questions regarding the virtual rally please email: community.outreach@usdoj.gov.

For more information and resources for Red Ribbon Week please visit: https://www.dea.gov/redribbon

Contest Submissions Accepted through November 1st

September 23, 2022 – Miami, FL –Beginning October 1st, students, families, and schools across America are invited to participate in the 12th Annual National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest aimed at raising visibility to live drug-free by being creative. The contest, co-sponsored by the National Family Partnership (NFP) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will be held in conjunction with National Red Ribbon Week, which takes place each year from October 23rd through 31st. The contest will award more than $20,000 to K-12 schools in cities across America.

The photo contest involves participants decorating the fronts of their homes (front door, mailbox, or fence), and/or school campuses with double-looped red ribbons while incorporating this year's Red Ribbon theme, Celebrate Life. Live Drug Free. ™ Participants enter the contest by taking a photo of their decorations (preferably with people in it!) and uploading it to the redribbon.org/contest website. You must be 18 years old to enter, so parents (or for school entries, school staff or PTA members) must submit the photos.

Twenty winners will be selected from two entry categories: Home Entry or School Entry. The top five schools and top five home submissions that receive the most votes in five designated DEA regions across the country will win $1,000 for the school of their choice and an Apple iPad for personal use. Additionally, ten winners will be selected from the following categories: Most Creative Home, Best Use of Family, Best Use of Theme, Best Virtual Photo, Most Educational, Most Creative School or Virtual School, Best Use of School or Virtual School, Best Use of Theme, Most Ambitious and Most Educational. The winners of these categories will also win $1,000 for the school of their choice and an Apple iPad for personal use.

The DEA has been a longtime co-sponsor of the National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest, which is now in its twelfth year. Keeping communities Drug-Free is a mission both the DEA and NFP have been laser focused on shared for many years. NFP hopes this fun and interactive photo contest will bring awareness about living Drug-Free to communities across the country.

“Each year, the National Family Partnership encourages the joy of living a Drug-Free life,” said Peggy Sapp, Volunteer President of National Family Partnership and President and CEO of Informed Families. “The Community’s involvement is important to helping a person’s choose to live drug free."

The contest begins October 1st at 9 a.m. E.S.T. and ends November 1st at 9 p.m. E.S.T. The voting period begins November 2nd and ends November 16th. The 2022 Red Ribbon Photo Contest Winners will be announced December 2nd. Please visit www.redribbon.org/contest for more information.

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About the National Family Partnership

The National Family Partnership was established in 1980 and is a national leader in drug prevention, education, and advocacy. Its mission is to lead our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign. NFP created the campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. In addition to the Red Ribbon Campaign®, NFP sponsors the Lock Your Meds® Campaign to prevent prescription drug abuse. Learn more about Red Ribbon Week at www.redribbon.org and NFP at www.nfp.org. 

Learn how to make a winning video during SAMHSA and DEA Twitter chat

As part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Red Ribbon Week campaign, DEA and SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention are co-sponsoring the annual Campus Video PSA Contest! The contest is designed to support colleges and universities in promoting the importance of preventing alcohol and drug misuse among college students.

Interested in competing? Join SAMHSA, the DEA’s Campus Drug Prevention initiative, and the larger prevention community for a Twitter chat on Wednesday, September 21, at 2 p.m. ET. During the chat, SAMHSA will share video creation tools, resources, and inspiration to help you create the very best 30- to 60-second video PSA showcasing your campus’s commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle!

This year DEA announced that they will be awarding prizes to first, second, and third place-winning entries to support campus prevention efforts.

• First place will receive $5,000 and a trip for two to NASPA’s Strategies Conference (January 18-21, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri).
• Second place will receive $3,000.
• Third place will receive $1,000.

Follow #AskDEACampus, @SAMHSAgov, and @DEAHQ on Twitter to participate in the conversation. You can learn more about the PSA contest by visiting www.campusdrugprevention.gov/psacontest.

Did you know? Red Ribbon Week was created to honor DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena after he was murdered by drug traffickers in 1985. The week has now become an annual event highlighting the importance of preventing drug misuse in our nation’s schools and communities. Each year from October 23–31, organizations across the U.S. show their commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle by wearing or displaying the Red Ribbon.

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is advising the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States.  In August 2022, DEA and our law enforcement partners seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states.  Dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people.

“Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”

Brightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resembles sidewalk chalk. Despite claims that certain colors may be more potent than others, there is no indication through DEA’s laboratory testing that this is the case.  Every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.  Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.  Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder. 

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country.  According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.  Drug poisonings are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.  Fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

In September 2021, DEA launched the One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of fake pills.  Additional resources for parents and the community can be found on DEA's Fentanyl Awareness page.

If you encounter fentanyl in any form, do not handle it and call 911 immediately.

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