Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) officials announced today that the department has won three Silver Telly awards for their problem gambling and abstinence commercials. The Silver Telly is the highest honor given by the Telly Awards to honor outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online film and video.

"We are honored that our work has been recognized as some of the best in advertising," said MDCH Director Janet Olszewski. "We will continue our efforts to raise awareness on these important issues."

The three spots that won the Silver Telly awards are:

- "Baby" focuses on the consequences of problem gambling. The spot encourages people to call the Michigan Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-270-7117 or to visit www.gambleresponsibly.org for free, confidential counseling and guidance.

- "Bird & Bee" encourages parents to talk with their kids about the importance of waiting to have sex. The spot urges parents to go to www.michigan.gov/talkearly for advice on how to talk with their kids about sex.

- "Mom's Voice" reinforces to parents that talking with your kids about sex is more powerful than they think as it depicts a conversation between two teen-age girls. The spot also urges people to visit www.michigan.gov/talkearly .

The department worked with Brogan and Partners Convergence Marketing in creating and producing the spots. The spots can be viewed on the MDCH Facebook Fan Page.

Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, interactive agencies, and corporate video departments in the world. The Telly Awards receive more than 13,000 entries annually from all 50 states and countries around the world.

Entries are judged against a high standard of merit. Judges, who are comprised of top advertising and production professionals and past Telly Award winners, score and evaluate entries based on a performance scale to recognize distinction in creative work.