Winners and runners-up of our Scholarship Script-Writing Contest were announced October 1st to kick-off Bullying Prevention Month! 📓✏️

The Be A Friend Project hosted its 2nd annual scholarship contest for high school students this summer. Our 2024 contest was for high school juniors and seniors, but this year, we extended this contest to ALL high school students! 🫶🏽

We are a nonprofit organization that began with a bullying-prevention-themed musical, and each day, we continue to champion the arts through our programming. Thus, we were excited to make the writing portion of the scholarship application a 2-4 page stage play of a group of high school students debating what to do about one of their own friends who has been bullying other kids in school. 🎭

Should they speak up? Should they protect or reach out to the classmate? Should they “snitch” on someone they hang out with every day?

And oh, were these scripts a joy to read! We were in absolute awe of this extraordinary panel of judges - celebrated writers, artists, educators, producers, and leaders who generously gave their time and creative expertise to lift up a young generation of storytellers. 

Each judge read and scored between 50-100 scripts submitted by an incredible 874 high school students from around the globe. We cannot thank them enough!!!! 💙❤️

TWO top winners of $500 each (thanks to a matching award donation from panel judge and BAFP Treasurer, Gary Bernstein) were Raameen Farhan of New Jersey and Abigail Saucedo of Chicago, Illinois! 🏆

Abigail shared: "I'm incredibly glad that professional playwrights found my script to be both heartwarming and eye-opening as much as I intended for it to be. The privilege of having my script, a story that I created, be performed by youth actors for the world to see is something I can barely wrap my head around - I am infinitely grateful! ...  I'd also like to say that I'm grateful to be part of an empowering, inspiring movement that is the Be A Friend Project. Bullying is such an important dilemma that, unfortunately, many people look past. The mission being carried out by Be A Friend makes a real difference." 😊

TWO runners-up awarded $100 each (thanks to an additional donation of $200 by BAFP co-founder and panel judge, January Akselrad) were Dua Imran of Pakistan, and Delaney Arrazola of California. 🏅

In addition to monetary awards, the first-place winners will see their scripts performed on video by youth actors - happening later this year! 🎬

High school students - thank you for your hard work. Stay tuned for our next Scholarship Contest coming this June! 🤩

Until then, check out our Friend Mail program, Teen Kindness Board, and Kindness Clubs. We keep you busy all year long! 😁