Last year, you captured the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics at the point-of-sale and we are calling on you to do it again! The Surgeon General says that exposure to retail marketing encourages smoking and undermines quit attempts. According to the Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Reports, in 2011, the tobacco industry spent $7.6 billion dollars making their presence known in the retail environment. Let’s capture these images so tobacco control advocates have tools to use in order to educate others of the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics.

Use your camera or mobile device to capture images of tobacco advertisements in your community. Advertisements are often found in and around gas stations as well as in convenience stores.

Choose a category (below) for your photo and send it to Counter Tobacco:

• Greatest Youth Appeal
• E-Cigarettes
• Stores near Schools
• Best Map or Infographic
• Funniest/Most Ironic
• Novel Products
• Flavored Little Cigar/Cigarillo

Winners receive a Counter Tobacco prize pack! Contest closes on October 21, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Official contest rules found here.

How do I enter?

1. Submit your photo by sending us a picture through our Facebook page, Twitter stream, or simply by sending us an email at info@countertobacco.org. Use the hashtag #CTphotocontest, if you’re submitting through Twitter or Facebook.

2. Please include the following information with your submission:

• Name
• Address
• Location of where photo was taken (city, state/country)
• Contest Category

If you are submitting via Facebook or Twitter, feel free to directly message or send the additional information via email to info@countertobacco.org.

Counter Tobacco requests this information in order to send prizes to winners and thank you gifts to entrants (pending supply availability). Personal information remains confidential and will not be sold or shared with any third parties.

How do I categorize my photos?

Don’t get too hung up on categorizing your image, but if you are looking for a little guidance, check out the descriptions below:

• Greatest Youth Appeal: Spotted a tobacco product near candy or another child-friendly item? Discovered a tobacco advertisement near a carousel or a child-friendly mascot? Send the image our way!
• E-Cigarettes: E-cigarettes are growing in popularity and tobacco companies have been launching and promoting new e-cigarette brands across the globe such as Vuse and MarkTen. Show us what e-cigs are being sold or launched in your community.
• Stores near Schools: Research conducted by Henriksen et al. has shown that there is an increased smoking prevalence among schools located in neighborhoods that have the highest tobacco retailer density (>5) than schools located in neighborhoods without any tobacco retailers. A tough photo to take but be creative! Panorama anyone? Or try photographing tobacco advertisements next to signs that indicate that a school is in the area.
• Best Map or Infographic: Infographic and maps are really helpful tools that use images to graphically display dense information. Send us infographics or maps that illustrate how the tobacco industry strategically targets different groups with its marketing.
• Funniest/Most Ironic: Did they just put that tobacco advertisement next to …? I think they did! Sometimes the placement of tobacco advertisements next to other items or advertisements can result in some serious irony! Grab snapshots of tobacco advertisements placed next to an unlikely companion advertisement.
• Novel Products: The tobacco product landscape has greatly changed over the years and tobacco offerings now include a host of smokeless products such as dissolvables and snus. For example, Camel recently launched a new large pouch version of their Frost Snus. Camel dissolvables can also be found in Charlotte NC, and Denver, Colorado. If you come across any of these new products or others- take a photo!
• Flavored Little Cigar/Cigarillo: They’re cheap, they’re flavored and they’re everywhere! Show us where you’ve seen little cigars or cigarillos. If possible, include the price of the product in the image.