Vote for your three favorite cartoons!

With the economy crumbling because of the collapse of the lending industry, more and more college students and families are taking out larger private loans in order to cover skyrocketing tuition and other college costs. Credit card companies on virtually every college campus are luring young people into debt that could spell financial ruin at a young age. The dangers of debt are more real than ever before.

Consumers Union encouraged young people to think about the dangers of debt through our 1st Annual "Dangers of Debt" Editorial Cartoon Contest! Young illustrators and cartoonists submitted editorial cartoons, and now you get to vote!

Here's how the contest works:

1. Submit Your Cartoon! The contest was open to 18-25 year olds and the deadline for submissions was November 3rd! Cartoon submissions are now posted online on our "Vote" page. See the contest rules for details.
2. Voting. During November, right after the country picks the next President of the United States, the public will be able to vote for their favorite three Dangers of Debt cartoons. Contestants can ask their friends, relatives and fellow students to visit the site and vote for their entry. Consumers Union will do lots of outreach to publicize all of the entries and get the public to vote for their top three favorites. The submission that gets the most votes will win $500. The voting winner cannot win both the Grand Prize and the Voting Prize so every vote counts! Voting Deadline is December 5th.
3. Judging. Once the voting ends, a panel of professional cartoonists, writers, illustrators and/or publishers will review the entries and pick the Grand Prize Winner.

Need more information about the dangers of debt and credit cards for young people? Check out our fact sheets:

• Are credit card companies slinging credit cards on your campus?
• Have you paid large fees when you overdraft your bank account?
• Perhaps you are one of the many college students that have been saddled with large student loans with undesirable terms.
• Have you, someone you know or a family member received a mortgage loan which has become a financial burden?

For more ideas and information about the Consumers Union Financial Services Team's work explore our different websites:

• The Daily Dollar - Get the inside scoop on financial privacy and identity theft legislation and other issues affecting your wallet.
• Consumers Union's Money Landing Page
• Financial Privacy Now Campaign
• Credit Card Reform Campaign