Facts on Tap!

Tell us what's great about drinking Philly tap water!

Competition Details

Submit a water-themed PSA Proposal to win a filming session with PhillyCAM and have your video professionally produced!

Eligible Participants: School District of Philadelphia students (Any class, organized after school group, or group of students in grades 6- 8 or 9-12.)

Production team must include an adult adviser and at least 5 School District of Philadelphia students.

  • There are two grade categories: 6-8 and 9-12

The Proposed PSA should be:

  1. Student-Focused
  2. Between 30-60 seconds in length
  3. Educational! PSAs should include at least one of the following themes:
    • Benefits of tap water for physical wellness
    • Benefits of tap water for mental wellness
    • Benefits of tap water for school climate
    • Benefits of tap water for environmental sustainability
    • Tap Water affordability compared to bottled water
    • How and why to use the hydration station/bottle fillers at school
  4. Engaging! Humor and creativity are highly encouraged.

The Proposal should be submitted in one of the following formats:

  • Rough draft video, shot on a phone or camera
  • Storyboard, with pictures of ideas and proposal description
  • Script, with intended lines and actions of participants

If you would like to submit a different proposal format, please contact greenfutures@philasd.org.

Students at a hydration station
Students at a hydration station.

Winning Submissions

Two groups (1 middle school and 1 high school) will receive the opportunity to turn their proposal into a professionally produced PSA. This includes one video chat planning session and up to 2, 2-hour filming sessions at your school or at PhillyCAM. The filming sessions will take place during the end of March or beginning of April, depending on class schedules and availability (please communicate with school administration about the timing of this project). The completed PSAs will be debuted during Drinking Water Week in May and may also be played on school LED monitors, PSTV, PhillyCAM, PHLGovTV, during summer Philadelphia Parks and Recreation events, and on other venues. In addition, the two first place schools will also receive a 1 year Educational Membership to PhillyCAM. Prizes will also be given to the 2nd and 3rd place winners in each grade category.

Submission Review Process

Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts including The School District of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability,  PhillyCAM, the Water Department/Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia Public Health Department, the Office of Children and Families, and local filmmakers.

Important Dates and Deadlines

January 24, 2020Submission form live
February 28, 2020Proposal submissions due
March 13, 2020Winning schools notified
March 23 - April 10, 2020Window for winning video production workshops
May 3 - May 9, 2020Public video screenings during Drinking Water Week