Vaccine Videos: These 6 NJ Residents Won Gov. Murphy's Contest

NEW JERSEY — One bright spot shining through the darkness of the COVID pandemic in New Jersey may be the creativity of its residents. Several New Jerseyans decided not to throw away their "shot" at stardom when they recently responded to a statewide contest that asked for videos encouraging vaccination — but there could only be one winner.

Last week, the state announced that Jersey Shore-based comedian (and occasional Trump impersonator) John Walsh was the winner of Gov. Phil Murphy's "Your Voice, Your Shot" video contest.

Murphy had announced the contest in April, urging state residents "to share why they and others are getting vaccinated."

"The contest calls for compelling, creative, and captivating video," the governor's office prodded in the release.

Last week, the office announced three finalists on whom residents could vote.

Walsh's humorous video got the most votes. It features young people citing reasons they want the shot, including "Because I don't want to infect my roommates," So I don't get these tan lines anymore," "I'm getting vaccinated because I just want to dance at the bar."

While some of their reasons seem frivolous, the ad does appear to target an age population that is lagging in getting the shot, state officials told the press on Monday.

Walsh wrote on social media last week:

The two other finalists included "I Took The Shot" by cinematographer Christian Castillo, and "Blue Plate Special" by the North Jersey-based Blue Plate Special Bluegrass Band.

You can see all three videos here.

“We know how important elevating community voices is to advancing our public health goals,” said New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “The Department of Health recognized the importance of engaging with the public to communicate critical information and keep each other safe.”

More than 610,000 Americans have now died from COVID (see which states have the highest recent death rates here).

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