- Box Tops for Education® and BET Want to Know Who's Helping America's Schools Make the Grade; Nominations Now Open For Box Tops for Education 10 Under 35 Contest -

(BLACK PR WIRE)–MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Attention America’s educational role models: it’s your turn to shine and share real life stories about your passion for local learning, as well as your compassion for the K-8 school children you support. The Box Tops for Education® 10 Under 35 Contest is now accepting nominations at www.BET.com/10Under35 to recognize everyday educational heroes who continually go above and beyond to positively impact local K-8 classrooms. The initiative to identify, celebrate and reward 10 individuals under 35-years of age is a partnership between Box Tops for Education, one of America’s largest school fundraising initiatives, and BET, a leader in entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for African American audiences.

The nomination phase of the 10 Under 35 Contest is open through October 16, 2012 at www.BET.com/10Under35 where educational leaders must be nominated by someone who has observed their community commitment. BET and Box Tops for Education will select 10 finalists who will be asked to create a video highlighting their work with local school/s. The 10 Under 35 Contest videos will then be posted online for public voting. The finalist to garner the most votes by rallying their community, beginning Oct. 24 to Nov. 16, 2012, will earn 100,000 Box Tops (valued at $10,000) for their local K-8 BTFE eligible school, as well as a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to the Box Tops for Education Town Hall in Atlanta in January 2013. All finalists will receive 5,000 Box Tops (valued at $500) for the Box Tops for Education eligible schools of their choice.

“Fostering a successful education for our children today leads to a brighter future tomorrow,” explained Tommy Hillman, Box Tops for Education marketing manager. “However, sparking learning in our schools doesn’t magically happen. The collaborative commitment, the understanding and the love that is shared by many caring individuals has resulted in meaningful and measurable progress for our children. The Box Tops for Education 10 Under 35 contest is our way to salute America’s finest young adults making an important contribution in their local communities.” 

Complete contest rules and judging criteria are available at www.BET.com/10Under35. If your school is not enrolled in Box Tops for Education, call 1-888-799-2444, or visit www.btfe.com. 

About Box Tops for Education: America’s schools have earned more than $475 million through the Box Tops for Education® program since the program started in 1996, including more than $74 million during the 2011-2012 school year. More than 90,000 schools use that cash to purchase items such as computers, library books, art supplies and playground equipment. Schools can earn up to $20,000 by clipping Box Tops from 240 products and can earn eBoxTops by shopping online through the Box Tops Marketplace.

Utilize your grocery list to earn cash for your child’s school. Simply buy the products; clip the Box Tops; send them to school and earn cash for the things your school needs. Many participating brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios® cereal, Hamburger Helper® skillet meals and Cinnamon Toast Crunch® cereal are already household favorites. To learn more about Box Tops for Education and for a list of participating products, visit www.btfe.com.

About BET Networks: BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.