AARP Announces Winners of U@50 challenge on Youtube

February 7, 2008

Contact: David Goldstein, AARP, 202-434-2560, dgoldstein@aarp.org

AARP Announces Winners of U&50 Challenge on You Tube

The Top Five Videos Win Cash Prizes Including $5,000 for First Place

Washington, DC - Today AARP announced the winners of its U@50 Challenge. The contest, launched in August 2007 on YouTube, gave people between the ages of 18 and 30 the chance to submit short videos on the subject of what they expect their lives to be like at age 50. The goal of the U@50 Challenge was to encourage intergenerational dialogue enabling young people to speak their minds and give AARP insight into their views. More than 50 videos were submitted from across the country and from these; the five top videos were selected by a panel of judges. The 1st place video entitled When I'm 50…was submitted by Ilya Polyakov, a film studies student from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Second through fifth place were awarded to Jonathan Reed of Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, Patricia Lynn O'Connor of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Jenny Carreiro of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and Daniel J. Pawlik from the California State University at Long Beach respectively. Videos were selected based on their technical quality, creativity and their ability to foster discussion. "The aim of this contest was to create a dialogue between the generations and to gain an understanding of what concerns our future members," said AARP Director of Academic Affairs Harry R. Moody. "We have been impressed with the enthusiasm young people have had for this contest. These videos have done a great job of highlighting the issues that are important to younger Americans in facing their futures."

The winning videos are available for viewing on the contest's website at www.youtube.com/Uat50 along with all of the U@50 Challenge submissions.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.