Drink Tea. Win Scholarship. Experience the 'Calm-A-Sutra of Tea' This May!

Drink Tea. Win Scholarship. Experience the 'Calm-A-Sutra of Tea' This May!

Tea Council of the USA, Inc. launches $20,000 Nationwide Scholarship Competition with Recording Artist and American Idol Runner-Up Justin Guarini

NEW YORK, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. announced today the launch of the Calm-A-Sutra of Tea(TM), a nationwide scholarship competition awarding one creative student $20,000 towards their education plus an all-expense paid trip to New York City, in an effort to further educate America's young people on the health-related benefits of drinking tea.

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070430/NYM017 )

The Calm-A-Sutra of Tea is a nationwide search for the most unique and creative way to drink tea, specifically black, green, white and oolong tea, all from the Camellia sinensis plant, explained in a one-to-two minute homemade Internet video that incorporates some aspect of tea's many health- related benefits.

As the world's most widely consumed beverage (next to water), tea is great tasting and calorie-free. It contains flavonoids that are believed to be health-protective antioxidants, which ultimately makes drinking tea part of a satisfying, healthy lifestyle.

"While educating the public on the emerging sciences supporting the health-related benefits of drinking tea is one of the Tea Council's main objectives, we also strongly support America's young people seeking a higher education," said Joe Simrany, President of the Tea Council of the USA. "The Calm-A-Sutra of Tea scholarship competition is the perfect vehicle for this Internet generation to take advantage of in their search for scholarships and financial aide for the upcoming 2007-2008 school year."

The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. has also partnered with recording artist and American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini as the official Calm-A-Sutra of Tea spokesperson. An avid tea drinker, Guarini supports the Tea Council's platform on educating young Americans about the health benefits of drinking tea through the immensely popular and ever-growing trend of using online video as the newest form of mass communication.

"As a singer, drinking hot tea has served as an essential part of my daily vocal warm-up routine," said Justin Guarini. "In addition to the fact that tea is an overall healthy beverage, I'm really proud to be working with the Tea Council in support of education in America."

The participant who submits the most creative and unique video, which emphasizes the health-related benefits of drinking black, green, white or oolong tea, will be selected by a panel of Tea Council representatives to receive a scholarship of $20,000 and an all-expense paid trip to New York City for themselves and a guest in the first week of June when the winner is announced.

All entries must be original Internet videos created by the entrant and must contain at least one valid message regarding Tea's health-related benefits, specifically black, green, white and oolong tea. Open to legal residents of the United States and Puerto Rico, who are at least 16 years of age, all entries must be received electronically at http://www.teausa.org/calmasutra no later than May 28, 2007.

The winner will receive a check in the amount of $20,000 paid directly to the school or educational institution on the winner's behalf and an all-expense paid trip to New York City, which includes round-trip airfare and two-night hotel accommodations.

Final judging will be conducted by a panel of representatives of the Tea Council of the USA, Inc. based on the following criteria: HEALTH-RELATED MESSAGE (50%; Entry must contain at least one valid message regarding Tea's health-related benefits, specifically black, green, white and oolong tea), CREATIVITY (20%), INDIVIDUALITY (20%) and POPULARITY (10%). Entries that contain any nudity, sexual content, inappropriate language, unsuitable behavior or adult material will be automatically discarded and not considered for submission.

For more information, please visit http://www.teausa.org/calmasutra.

ABOUT THE TEA COUNCIL OF THE USA:

The Tea Council of the USA is a non profit association that was formed in 1950 as a joint partnership between tea packers, importers and allied industries within the United States, and the major tea producing countries. It functions as the educational arm of the tea industry with a primary goal of increasing overall awareness of tea by providing information about its many positive attributes. One of the Council's primary objectives is the dissemination of key scientific findings about tea to the public. The Tea Council does this in several ways including: funding scientific meetings to bring tea researchers from around the world together to share key information and identify next steps for future research projects; and working with health organizations and international scientists to disseminate information about potential positive health effects of tea consumption on a public level. Additional efforts of the Tea Council include outreach to the health professional community, support and monitoring of key scientific meetings internationally, and ongoing interaction with leading tea researchers.

CONTACT:
Melissa McAllister Kevin Hughes
Pollock Communications Pollock Communications
646.277.8711 646.277.8720
mmcallister@pollock-pr.comkhughes@pollock-pr.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070430/NYM017
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN2
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: The Tea Council of the USA, Inc.

CONTACT: Melissa McAllister, +1-646-277-8711, mmcallister@pollock-pr.com,
or Kevin Hughes, +1-646-277-8720, khughes@pollock-pr.com, both of Pollock
Communications for The Tea Council of the USA, Inc.

Web site:

http://www.teausa.org/calmasutra

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