SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In coordination with STD Awareness Month, Identigene today announced the two winners of the company’s “Talk About STDs” online video contest, each of which received cash prizes of $5,000 and $2,500, respectively. The winners were revealed April 1 at the 4th annual Sex::Tech Conference in San Francisco, an event that brings health and technology professionals together with youth, parents and community leaders to advance the sexual health of youth.
The $5,000 grand-prize winning video was submitted by the Musician’s Cooperative in Indiana. The group’s 60-second video, titled “Let’s Talk about STDs”, featured members of the cooperative discussing facts and myths associated with STDs. An additional $2,500 was awarded to popular vote winner David Cng, whose video submission “STDs and You” was among 10 finalists featured on the contest’s website and received the most votes from visitors to the site. Each of the finalists, which were announced in March, also received a $1,000 cash prize.
To view the winning videos, visit: www.talkaboutstds.com.
“The winning video really exemplifies the purpose of the contest, which was to encourage people to find ways to talk about sexually transmitted diseases,” said Steven Smith, executive director of Identigene. “STDs can be a sensitive subject to broach, but this video presented a realistic look at how it is possible to talk openly and honestly about STDs, and how important it is to know all the facts associated with sexual health.”
The Musician’s Cooperative provides affordable living, recording and practice space to local artists and musicians. They plan on putting the contest winnings toward an additional, similar facility in Michigan.
“Everyone should know about why it is important to talk about STDs,” said Tyler Trierweiler of the Musician’s Cooperative. “The best way to protect yourself is to be aware that there is a problem. It can obviously be an awkward subject that not everyone wants to talk about, but it is something that definitely needs to be brought up. The more you talk about it, the easier it will be and the better prepared you are to protect yourself.”
“The CDC estimates there are more than a million Americans between the ages of 14 and 39 who are infected with an STD each year, which is astounding,” Smith added. “We designed this contest to get people to start talking seriously about how to take control of their sexual health. With April being STD Awareness Month, I think these videos are a great way to get the conversation started. Often, people might not even realize they are infected, so it is essential to become informed on the ways you can avoid STDs, and if you are sexually active it is important to be tested regularly.”
Identigene offers an at-home STD test kit, currently available for purchase online at www.identigene.com. The test kit allows consumers to collect a urine sample at home, and send it to Identigene’s accredited laboratory for testing. Upon receipt of the sample at the laboratory, results are made available to customers via a secure password-protected website within two to three business days. The STD test kit offers both gonorrhea and Chlamydia testing, providing consumers private results in an easily-administered private test.
To learn more about Identigene’s STD test kit and other services, visit www.identigene.com.
About Identigene
Identigene, a Sorenson Genomics company, is the largest provider of direct-access DNA paternity testing. Identigene is also registered with CLIA as a provider of nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) methodology for molecular diagnostics services. Founded in 1993, Identigene was the first DNA testing laboratory in the world to commercially use modern STR technology for paternity testing, and is the only company to sell a paternity test and an STD test for chlamydia and gonorrhea through major retail outlets. Additional information about Identigene, its national and international laboratory accreditations, and its DNA and clinical testing services is available at www.identigene.com. Get engaged in conversation related to DNA paternity testing by visiting the Identigene Facebook page or following the company on Twitter at @Identigene.