
About the Challenge
Tobacco and vaping are social justice issues.
For decades, Big Tobacco made billions profiling and exploiting vulnerable populations – and the vape industry is only making things worse.
Vaping companies have targeted underaged kids with youth-oriented ads, sold flavored products that attract teens to their addictive products, even targeted children as young as 8 years old with summer camp… and that’s just scratching the surface.
Actions like these have threatened the health of individuals in the Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities. We can’t change the fact that tobacco and vape companies spent years targeting these communities, but we can still turn their damage around.
Create a piece of original artwork that illustrates why it's so important for our generation to fight back against these exploitative industries.
We will award one (1) Grand Prize Winner with $5,500, a Supreme merchandise gift pack AND their artwork may be featured on truth® merchandise. Four (4) Runner Up winners will each receive $1,125 and a Supreme merchandise gift pack.
The Vaping: Know the truth art challenge is brought to you by truth
Students ages 13-19 are eligible to participate. We encourage students to check out EVERFI’s Vaping: Know the truth course to get all the info they need. Submissions accepted until March 30.
Did You Know?
- 81% of youth who have ever used tobacco started with a flavored product.
- A congressional subcommittee found that Juul targeted children as young as 8 years old with summer camps and public out-of-school programs.
- Big Tobacco profiled black communities, appropriated black culture in their ads, and flooded majority-black neighborhoods with menthol marketing. Today, nearly 90% of African American smokers use menthols.
- A study on Juul’s advertising found that the company targeted youth from the start, even mimicking Big Tobacco’s old marketing tactics.
- In the past, a tobacco company planned to boost cigarettes sales by targeting the gay community. They even called their plan Project SCUM (subculture urban marketing).

Vaping: Know the truth is offered to high schools at no cost thanks to our work with Truth Initiative and Kaiser Permanente, in collaboration with the American Heart Association.
To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org/curriculum
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends 3/30/23 at 11:59:59 pm ET. Open only to legal U.S. residents residing in 50 U.S. & D.C. and who are middle or high school students between 13 -19 years of age (with parental consent, if a minor). Limit one Submission per person. Void where prohibited. Other restrictions apply. See Official Rules for eligibility and complete details. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: EVERFI, Inc.
