Millburn, New Jersey, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twenty-six New Jersey high school students have been selected as finalists for their original music and lyrics featuring powerful peer-to-peer messages about substance use, misuse and prevention for the 2023 Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey music competition organized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ).
The competition, sponsored by 95.9 WRAT, is a great opportunity for teens to have a platform to promote their music and be peer leaders by inspiring other teens to live a healthy substance-free lifestyle.
“The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is excited to have another group of talented New Jersey high school students participating in the 19th annual Your Song! Your Voice! competition,” said Angelo Valente, PDFNJ’s Executive Director. “Each year I am so impressed by these teens utilizing their talent in sharing these substance use prevention songs, that will hopefully inspire and reach their peers with the messages they convey.”
The 26 finalists, comprised of 20 solo and group entries, will be featured during the virtual Prevention Concert on April 25th on ShoutDownDrugs.com and the winners will be announced live on air on 95.9 FM WRAT at 6:40 p.m. immediately following the concert. The first-place winner will receive a $5,000 music contract, and the second and third-place winners to receive $3,000 and $2,000 music contracts respectively.
“The WRAT is excited to be part of the Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey competition again this year,” said Jimmy Steal, Vice President of Brand and Content, 95.9 WRAT. “We look forward to being a part of the competition and are proud to work with the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.”
The public will be able to vote for their favorite Your Song! Your Voice! finalists at ShoutDownDrugs.com from now until April 24th when the voting closes at midnight. A panel of judges will cast their vote, and the vote totals from this period of online voting will be combined with judges’ to determine the winners.
Interviews and photos with finalists are available upon request.
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Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered 217 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.
New Jersey Shout Down Drugs 2023 Finalists
Atlantic County
Alaina Joseph – “Simple”
CITY: Somers Point
SCHOOL: Chartertech High School of the Performing Arts
Nathanael Gaw – “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”
CITY: Mays Landing
SCHOOL: Atlantic County Institute of Technology
MatthewDiTizio – “Revealed”
CITY: Egg Harbor Township
SCHOOL: Egg Harbor Township High School
Bergen County
Hassan “Sani” Oats – “You’ve Had Enough”
CITY: Hasbrouck Heights
SCHOOL: Hasbrouck Heights High School
Cumberland County
William Cao and Moesharlynn Torto, Chaos in Control – “Back & Forth”
CITY: Vineland
SCHOOL: Vineland High School
Judah Walters – “Scared of the Dark”
CITY: Vineland
SCHOOL: Vineland High School
Essex County
Arushi Vadlamani – “Angel’s’Wung”
CITY: Maplewood
SCHOOL: Columbia High School
Arabella Egan – “Facades”
CITY: Montclair
SCHOOL: Montclair High School
Ambrose Amory – “Found A Way”
CITY: Roselle
SCHOOL: The Raymond J. Lesniak High School
Gloucester County
Emmanuel Antonelli – “Dosage”
CITY: Gloucester Township
SCHOOL: Camden County Technical School
Mercer County
Garrett Gonzalez – “Everything Ends”
CITY: Hamilton
SCHOOL: Nottingham High School
Daniella Conte – “Just Say No”
CITY: Hamilton
SCHOOL: Steinert High School
Varsha Gireesh – “Addicted”
CITY: West Windsor
SCHOOL: High School North
Jordan Wilson – “Intervention Intentions”
CITY: Lawrence Township
SCHOOL: Lawrence High School
Monmouth County
Leela Kumar– “Passion On Its Own”
CITY: Howell
SCHOOL: Howell High School
Morris County
Tina LaRosa– “Wasted”
CITY: East Hanover
SCHOOL: Hanover Park High School
Ocean County
Sebastian Fuentes, Anthony Gualano, Ryan Kashuck and Ryan King, Big Toe and The Rest of ‘Em – “Bernie
CITY: Toms River
SCHOOL: Grunin Performing Arts Academy
Mason Davis– “Alice”
CITY: Toms River
SCHOOL: Grunin Performing Arts Academy
Alex Delgado, Enzo Pimenta and Milana Tirondola, A.E.M.– “Serious”
CITY: Toms River
SCHOOL: Grunin Performing Arts Academy
Passaic County
Jade Parker– “Pressure”
CITY: Paterson
SCHOOL: Rosa L. Parks Fine and Performing Arts High School
