On June 30, 2020, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined by representatives of HealthFirst and spoke with the three winners of the #BronxCounts Challenge over Zoom to congratulate them on winning the contest.
Borough President Diaz Jr. and HealthFirst, who sponsored the #BronxCounts Challenge all, to thank them for calling attention to the 2020 Census and the importance of filling out the form.
The #BronxCounts Challenge was an online, borough-wide creative arts competition calling on Bronx middle or high school students to submit an original song, rap, spoken word, dance performance or artwork that educates and encourages their neighbors to participate in the upcoming 2020 Census count.
The winners of the contest were:
- First Place: Melvyn Read
- Melvyn’s video, a catchy rap song he wrote, with his classmates singing the hook, named “Make it Count, Make it Count!” received a total of 2,271 Likes.
- Second Place: Sophia Rivera
- Sophia’s video, a stylish PowerPoint-like video presentation focusing on why the 2020 Census is important, received a total of 2,244 Likes.
- Third Place: Mark Gonzalez, Jr.
- Mark’s video, a hip-hop video which he previewed with a video the day before the contest opened to hype up his entry, received a total of 292 Likes.
Entries were submitted via Instagram and Twitter, with the hashtag #BronxCounts, from February 24th through March 2nd.
“The 2020 Census is so important to our communities and we need to make sure that we stand up, get counted so that we get the resources we deserve and desperately need from the federal government,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “A lot of young people don’t know who vital the Census is in determining funding for our communities and redistricting, but participation in contests such as ours does so much to inform their friends and classmates about the importance of the process.”