A Vape Free Future

2025 Student Video Competition

Knoxville students, join our 2025 Video contest by submitting a creative video that inspires other students to live a vape free life.

The Ask

With a group of up to 4 people who are in 9th-12th grade from the same organization or school, create a short video that inspires other youth to live a vape free life.

Audience

High school students and young adults 14-20 yrs old

Length

Final videos must be exactly 25 seconds long

Topics

Vaping, choose one message from our list of topics to focus
your video on.

Final entries are due March 14th at 11:59 PM

Topics

Choose a prompt from one of the following 3 topics as inspiration for your video. Under each list there are facts about vaping that you can use to learn more about these topics.  

Why Youth Use: Avoiding the First Time

  • Even with all the pressure to vape, there’s a reason YOU choose not to vape. 
  • The reasons not to vape are stronger than the voices telling you to start vaping. 
  • Curiosity is great, except when it comes to trying substances, like vaping. 
  • Our family, friends, or people on social media may vape, but just because they seem fine doesn’t mean that it is a healthy choice for you.

  • The most common reason U.S. middle and high school students give for trying an e-cigarette is that a friend used them. 
  • Most middle and high school students who vape use flavored products. Vapes come in a variety of youth-friendly flavors including fruit, candy, mint and menthol. 
  • 3 out of 4 students who use social media report seeing e-cigarette related posts and content.  
  • Youth report vaping because they are curious about e-cigarettes or because a family member used them.  

Protecting Youth From the Harms of Vaping | Smoking and Tobacco Use | CDC   

 The Potential Effects of Vaping

  • Sometimes we don't see the effects of a choice until much later, including when that choice is using substances. 
  • Especially when you're young, vaping can quickly become an substance use disorder, and use disorders get in the way of everyday activities. 
  • Just because the people we see using seem fine, doesn't mean they are healthy or won't deal with health problems later on. 

  • Most e-cigarettes, or vapes, contain nicotine—the addictive substance in cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products. 
  • Vaping can cause breathing problems, organ damage, addiction and other conditions. 
  • Problems vaping causes include Asthma, Lung scarring, Organ damage, EVALI, Addiction, Cigarette smoking, Second-hand exposure, Explosions, Cancer. 
  • Vaping also delivers toxins such as diacetyl, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the lungs.  
  • Because the adolescent brain is still developing, youth are more susceptible to nicotine addiction.   

CDC | Health Effects of Vaping

Choosing Healthier Coping Skills

  • There’s a lot of ways to deal with negative emotions – vaping doesn’t have to be one of them. 
  • Instead of hiding from our negative emotions with substances, taking time to understand them can help us be stronger and feel calmer. 
  • Instead of turning to vaping, go to supportive friends and family. They can provide great relief from stress or other negative emotions.
  • Physical activities, even simple and less intense ones, are healthier options than vaping for improving your mood. 

  • Physical activity, even just stretching or taking a walk around the block, can boost your mood and help take the mind off cravings.  
  • Meditation, breathing exercises or grounding techniques bring your attention to the present moment and can help redirect stressful thoughts.  
  • Journaling simply means writing down your thoughts and feelings. This has proven benefits in managing stress and coping with mental health conditions.  
  • Finding supportive people, like parents or friends, to rely on can help you cope through hard times and build self-esteem.  
  • Practice healthy habits daily like getting good sleep, eating nutritious food and engaging in exercise to feel your best, mentally and physically.  

Deal With Cigarette Cravings | Smokefree Teen  

Prizes

First Place Winners

Will have an ad professionally produced based off their video. Ad will be run on social media platforms.

Their group will be invited to learn about what goes into the ad creation process, including being invited on-set for filming.

Their school or organization will receive a donation of $1000.

This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.