American Riviera Bank, on Dec. 13, announced the winner of the teen savings video contest Lights, Camera, Save! The video contest challenged youths ages 13-18 to create an educational video that showed the value of sound money management in a way that was appealing to other teenagers.
Michaela Oh, from Rocklin, Calif., won first place with her aptly titled video titled “Save Your Money and Stay Winning.”
The runner-up was Santa Barbara teen, Tara Woodward, who emphasized the importance of budgeting and of beginning one’s savings early on.
American Riviera Bank partnered with the American Bankers Association to bring Lights, Camera, Save! to local junior highs and high schools. The judges looked for creative and innovative videos that communicated the importance of sound money management in a way that is relevant and appealing to other teens.
With her clever approach to showcasing responsible financial decision-making, Oh won the preliminary competition by sharing practical tips to cut spending and encouraged teens to save for college.
“Congratulations to our preliminary winners and a big thank you to everyone that participated,” said Jeff DeVine, American Riviera Bank president/CEO. “Community-engagement efforts like Lights, Camera, Save! are a great way to educate and bring financial literacy to teens as they start their first jobs, and as they grapple with important financial decisions associated with college.
“With creative minds like our preliminary winners Miss Oh and Miss Woodward, we are confident our next generations will grow up to be financially responsible and resilient.”
Having won at the state level, Oh will continue to the national level competition. There, the three top winners will receive awards of $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000, respectively. The national winners’ videos will be posted on the program’s YouTube channel and become part of a national campaign to make sound money management relevant to teenagers.
Beyond the award prizes for the teens themselves, their schools could win a scholarship to attend the 2020 Jump$tart National Educators Conference.
Promising “Fortune. Fame. And a lot of fun,” the Lights, Camera, Save! program serves as an entertaining way to educate younger audiences on the important topic of financial literacy and responsibility.
The program encouraged teens to participate in their own financial empowerment and edification, while helping their peers learn a lesson they can save for life.
To view Oh’s winning entry, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpzGmJSp5RQ. To see Woodward’s video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRY5tRVmfTE.
American Riviera Bank is an FDIC member as well as an Equal Housing Lender. For more information, visit www.AmericanRivieraBank.com.
— Joyce Valentino for American Riviera Bank.