College Scholarship Opportunities

1. Description of the Contest: The “For the Future” Scholarship contest is designed to give graduating high school seniors planning on attending Louisiana 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities as well as students currently enrolled in 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities in Louisiana the opportunity to submit an original video about the dangers of distracted driving as well as an essay of up to 300 words in length about why road safety is important to them and how young people can drive cultural change around the issue.

 

The three entrants who submit the best videos and essays as determined by the criteria set forth by the DDB Scholarship Committee at their sole discretion in accordance with these Official Rules will receive the corresponding scholarship (Grand Prize: $4,444, Most Creative: $1,500, Most Persuasive: $1,500). In addition, a fourth scholarship of $1,000 in value will be awarded to the winner of the “People’s Choice Award,” which will be decided by the video that receives the most total likes, comments, and shares when posted on the Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers Facebook page.

 

2. Eligibility: To apply for the “For the Future” Scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Louisiana Residency

• Requirement: Applicants must be legal residents of Louisiana at the time of application.
• Verification: Applicants will be asked to provide proof of residency, such as a valid Louisiana driver’s license, state-issued ID, or another government-issued document that verifies residency.

Enrollment or Acceptance at an Accredited Institution

• Requirement:
  Applicants must either:
  • Be a Louisiana high school senior graduating in May 2026, or
  • Be currently enrolled at an accredited 2-year or 4-year college or university in Louisiana.
• Verification: Proof of enrollment or an acceptance letter must be submitted with the application.

Graduation Timeline

• High school applicants: Must plan to begin college in Louisiana in Fall 2026.
• Current college students: Must be planning to graduate in Fall 2026 or later.

Minimum GPA Requirement

• Requirement: Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the time of submission.
• Verification: Applicants must provide an unofficial transcript or official proof of their GPA from their current or most recent academic institution.

 Age Requirement

• Requirement: Applicants must be at least 17 years old at the time of submitting their application.
• Verification: Age verification may be required if not clearly indicated in the submitted documents (e.g., birth certificate, state-issued ID).

 Important Notes

• Applicants who do not meet the above requirements will be disqualified.
• It is highly recommended that all documentation is submitted accurately and completely to avoid delays in the review process.
• Incomplete applications or failure to meet eligibility criteria may result in automatic disqualification.

The following individuals are not eligible to enter: (a) employees of Dudley DeBosier (DDB); (b) immediate family members of employees of DDB; (c) and those living in the same household as employees of DDB.

 

3. How to Enter: Visit the Dudley DeBosier website: College Scholarship Program 2026 | Dudley DeBosier to complete the required form. Participants will need to submit the following by December 31, 2025, at 11:59:59 PM CT:
4. Original Video (1–2 minutes): Create a powerful video encouraging young people NOT TO TEXT AND DRIVE. Use any format or style—documentary, spoken word, animation, skits, interviews, even music—as long as it’s engaging, creative, and educational.
   • Deliver a clear, persuasive message about the dangers of distracted driving
   • Be suitable for public viewing (no profanity, violence, or copyrighted music)
   • Be shot in landscape (horizontal) format
   • Be in .MP4, .MOV, or .AVI format (max file size: 500MB)
5. Short Essay (up to 300 words): Reflect on why road safety is important to you, and how young people can drive cultural change around distracted driving.
6. Unofficial Transcript or Proof of Enrollment: Submit a document showing your current GPA and enrollment status.
7. Submission Requirements: Submissions should be of serious nature, thoughtful, creative, and original. By entering the contest, entrant agrees, acknowledges, and understands that all submissions may be posted on any DDB website for viewing by the general public and grants DDB a non-exclusive license to publish, display, reproduce, or otherwise use the submission at DDB’s discretion whatsoever and without further notice or compensation. All submissions become the property of Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers and will not be returned to the entrant. Each submission must also comply with the following:
   1. Each video will meet the following requirements:

Original Video (1–2 minutes)

1. • 1. Topic: Dangers of texting and driving
     2. Format: .MP4, .MOV, or .AVI
     3. Max size: 500 MB
     4. Submission Method:
        ➤ Upload to shared drive folder 2025_2026 DDB Scholarship
        ➤ Paste the shareable link into the HubSpot form

1. Each video submission will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Message Impact (40%)
  How effectively does the video raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving?
• Creativity (25%)
  How original and engaging is the concept and execution?
• Technical Quality (20%)
  Is the video well-produced, with clear visuals, audio, and smooth editing?
• Clarity & Delivery (15%)
  Is the message delivered clearly, confidently, and with an appropriate tone?
  1. Each essay submission will be up to 300 words (submissions that exceed 300 words will not be considered).
  2. Each essay submission will be graded on proper spelling and grammar.
  3. Each submission will be tied to one entrant. No group submissions will be accepted.
  4. The student whose video wins the Grand Prize will receive a $4,444 scholarship; the student whose video wins Most Creative will receive a $1,500 scholarship; the student who video wins Most Persuasive will receive a $1,500 scholarship; and the student whose video wins People’s Choice will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
  5. Submissions must be your own original work and must not have been previously published, released, or distributed in any form; must not have won any award; and must not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other personal or proprietary rights of any person or entity.
  6. Writings and thoughts used in the submission must be original and/or not require any additional clearances for DDB to use or post on public websites or forums of any kind.
  7. The submission must not contain or reference any names, products, or services of any company or entity or any third-party trademarks, logos, trade dress, or promotion of any brand, product, or service.
  8. Only one video submission per person is allowed.
  9. Only one award per video will be given.
  10. All scholarship funds will be sent directly to the recipient or their school to cover tuition, books, or educational costs.
  11. All applications must meet eligibility criteria and submit complete applications to be considered.
      
      

Entrants agree to hold DDB harmless from and against any suits, claims, losses, damages, and expenses, including reasonable attorney fees that may arise from or in connection with any entrant’s submission and the use or display of the entrant’s submission.

 

5. Finalist Selection: Dudley DeBosier’s marketing team will screen all submissions to ensure they meet the eligibility requirements and technical specifications. The top 15 videos that best align with the judging criteria will be selected as finalists and sent to Kiran Chawla by March 2, 2026. DDB will select three winners no later than March 16, 2026, based on the following categories: message impact (40%), creativity (25%), technical quality (20%), and clarity & delivery (15%). The odds of winning depend on the total number of qualified entries received during the contest period. In the event of a tie, the winner will be randomly selected from the set of submissions involved in the tie. In addition, a People’s Choice scholarship will be awarded to the video chosen as the public’s favorite via social media engagement on the Dudley DeBosier Facebook page.

The 12 finalist videos (out of the 15 selected) will be posted on Dudley DeBosier’s official Facebook page for public voting between March 2-16, 2026. Social media engagement = total likes, comments, and shares on the original Facebook post featuring the video. The finalist video with the highest total engagement will be awarded the People’s Choice Award. The four winners of the four scholarships will receive their scholarship prizes on March 31, 2026.