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The annual Hackademy Awards is a youth-friendly advocacy event hosted by the students of our Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! Project designed to educate youth and young adults about the impact of tobacco use and smoking in movies.
Scientific studies from Dartmouth College support that smoking in movies is a significant risk factor for youth smoking initiation. For example, nearly 44% of smoking initiation by adolescents in the United States can be credited to exposure to smoking in movies, and the more a favorite actor or actress smokes in a movie, the more likely a teen viewer will smoke.
Held annually in late February/early March, our award presenters arrive in a limo, walk the red carpet, smile for paparazzi, sign autographs and give Thumbs Up! And Thumbs Down! Awards to movies, actors and actresses.
Our “Hackademy,” which is made up of our TUTD youth volunteers, meets yearly to discuss all of the movies that were reviewed by our TUTD reviewers throughout the year. Thumbs Up! Awards are given to movies, actors and actresses that did not use tobacco or portrayed the realistic harmful health effects of using tobacco, and Thumbs Down! Awards are given to those that most glamorized tobacco.
 Hackademy Award attendees enjoy a reception complete with light appetizers and live music. Event sponsors get access to the exclusive VIP lounge, and youth from the community are invited to attend this event for free, thanks to our event sponsors.
The funds raised by this event support and expand not only our youth tobacco prevention programs, but also our clean air and lung health programs, which help make our community a healthier place to live and breathe.
For more information about the Hackademy Awards, contact Margaret Tsai at (916) 444-5900 ext. 212 or mtsai@sacbreathe.org.
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