Psoriasis Cure Now Awards First $2,000 in Its $10,000 Psoriasis Video Contest

Psoriasis Cure Now Awards First $2,000 in Its $10,000 Psoriasis Video Contest

KENSINGTON, Md., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today announced the "Early Bird" winners in the Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest. Each of the two winners announced today has won $1,000 for having the best video submitted in the first five weeks of the contest, which is accepting submissions through September 26, 2007. A $7,500 Grand Prize, and other cash prizes for Finalists, will be awarded in October.

Both winners are transplants to Los Angeles, California. Jason Forman's entry is an upbeat, animated video chronicling Sean, a stick figure with psoriasis. Jennifer Fitzgerald's video is a live action spoof of the snake oil salesmen that prey on psoriasis patients desperate to find relief from the incurable disease. The winning videos can be viewed at the Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest website:

http://www.psoriasis-cure-now.org/contest/videos.php.

"Forman and Fitzgerald won the Early Bird round because their videos grab your attention in creative ways as they convey the serious challenges faced by people with psoriasis," said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. "But six different videos had scores bunching them together near the top, and it is striking how diverse those videos are, including a serious and heartfelt tale that has brought many people to tears, as well as a couple that weave humor into their approach."

"I got psoriasis in the first grade and it has led me to many dark moments of frustration, humiliation and profound powerlessness," said Fitzgerald, a writer/performer whose video was directed by her friend Jennifer Carta. "We wanted our video to show the frustration of this disease but also the desperate hope involved in chasing the dangling carrot of a cure." A minimum of six Finalists will be chosen in October, including these two videos, and then a public comment period will assist with the selection of the Grand Prize winner. All the videos will be judged anew in the Grand Prize round, meaning any one of the videos already entered could still be the Grand Prize winner.

"I was struck by the limited amount of government funding going to study psoriasis, especially after seeing some of the severe case photos I came across in my research," said Forman, who does not have psoriasis. "What I learned most was how much psoriasis affects people's lives and how hard it can be to live with."

"We wondered at the outset of this contest if the seriousness of psoriasis could be conveyed in 30 to 60 seconds," Paranzino added. "Already, the entries in this contest confirm that it is possible to do so in a meaningful and high-impact way. We look forward to seeing additional entries submitted in the weeks ahead."

Source: Psoriasis Cure Now

CONTACT: Michael Paranzino of Psoriasis Cure Now, +1-202-253-4863,
michael@psoriasis-cure-now.org

Web site: http://www.psoriasis-cure-now.org/

-------
Profile: intent