Press Releases

ATLANTA — August 3, 2011 — The American Cancer Society, the official sponsor of birthdays, today announced the twelve art and music finalists in the Create More Birthdays Contest & Sweepstakes. The contest was created to find new artists and musicians to join the Society’s movement to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Finalists were selected from a pool of more than one hundred entries, with ten chosen by public vote and two chosen by a panel of qualified judges, including art and design expert Erin Loechner, Rock and Roll Mama Lindsay Maines, and writer and photographer Karen Walrond. 

Now it’s up to the public to vote for their favorite art and music submissions and determine the Grand Prize Winners (one in art, one in music). The Grand Prize Winners will be featured alongside some of the biggest names in art and entertainment, including Lady Antebellum, Masha D’yans, Maroon 5 and Jordin Sparks in the Society’s More Birthdays gallery on morebirthdays.com. In addition, the winning submissions will be featured in a wide range of online products for download, such as e-cards, to help raise money to save more lives from cancer. The winning musician’s work will also be featured in American Cancer Society’s nationwide advertising campaign, and the winning artist’s work will be featured on Tiny Prints in their exclusive American Cancer Society card collection on tinyprints.com. The Grand Prize Winners will be announced at the end of August.

“I am truly inspired, not only by the amazing quality of the music and art finalists, but by the moving stories shared by those who entered the Create More Birthdays Contest,” said Terry Music, Chief Mission Officer, American Cancer Society. “It is this kind of support that helps us continue our lifesaving work to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”

Musicians were invited to submit a video performance of the traditional “Happy Birthday” song, similar to the clips contributed by celebrity entertainers, while artists could submit original, visual artwork - both inspired by the many ways the Society has helped make progress against cancer.

Finalists in the music category include:

•  Jessi sings "Happy Birthday" (by Jessi Hardin)  American Cancer Society Inspiration: Research that we support has helped more children survive childhood leukemia.

• Happy Birthday on Lap Steel (by Greg Vorobiov)   American Cancer Society Inspiration: There are 11 million cancer survivors, but we can’t stop there.

• Happy Birthday to Me! (by Jeri Lyn Baker)    American Cancer Society Inspiration: We have been part of nearly every cancer research breakthrough.

• Happy Birthday! :3 (by Mari-Ann Bui)   American Cancer Society Inspiration: The progress we are making against cancer helps save 350 lives a day.

• Survivor (by Jennifer Taylor)   American Cancer Society Inspiration: There are 11 million cancer survivors, but we can’t stop there.

• Happy Birthday (by Shannon Eileen Bachmann)   American Cancer Society Inspiration: The progress we are making against cancer helps save 350 lives a day.

Finalists in the art category include:

• Sing (by Amy Turner)  American Cancer Society Inspiration: We give free lodging and support for cancer patients in treatment.

• More Birthdays Because of Women's Screen (by Marilyn Brown)  American Cancer Society Inspiration: We fight for millions of women to get the cancer screenings they need.

• 11 Million Wishes (by Sam Mendez)  American Cancer Society Inspiration: There are 11 million cancer survivors, but we can’t stop there.

• Innocence (by Sylwia Baran)  American Cancer Society Inspiration: We fight for millions of women to get the cancer screenings they need.

• Relay For A Cure (by Johnny Gene Wilson)  American Cancer Society Inspiration: There are 11 million cancer survivors, but we can’t stop there.

• into dreams (by Faun Donald)   American Cancer Society Inspiration: Our programs help guide cancer patients through every step of their journey.

The public is encouraged to vote for their favorite music video and artwork entries at http://my.morebirthdays.com. With each vote cast, voters are entered into the Create More Birthdays Sweepstakes to win More Birthdays gift packs, including Tiny Prints birthday cards and More Birthdays gift wrap, posters, limited-edition prints and more, all created from the art inspired by the Society’s work from famous artists, such as Andrew Bannecker and Andy Gilmore. Entrants and fans can also share their own submissions or their favorites with friends and family via their own social networks.

The American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays movement is dedicated to creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays – through decades of scientific research, advocacy, patient support and much more. With more work like this and your help, we can create even more celebrations and more birthdays for all. To get involved in the movement or to learn more about the Create More Birthdays Contest and rules[i] visit www.morebirthdays.com.

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well be preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; and by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass law to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it would be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Andrew Becker, American Cancer Society, 212-237-3899
andrew.becker@cancer.org 

Kate Taylor
Brodeur Partners on behalf of American Cancer Society, 617-587-2010
ktaylor@brodeur.com