Idaho Public Television announced the winners of the 2026 Welcome to the Unaltered State Teen Video Contest, a statewide effort designed to empower young people to help change attitudes and behaviors around youth substance use through peer-to-peer messaging.
The 2026 grand prize winner is Isaac Mueller, a freshman at Preston High School. Isaac received $2,000 for his winning video titled Don’t Give In, Let Your Future Win.
In its fourth year, the contest invited Idaho teens ages 12 to 18 to create original videos encouraging healthy choices and highlighting the importance of staying “unaltered.” More than 100 students from across Idaho submitted creative, thoughtful entries for a chance to win a share of $10,000 in cash prizes.
“The response from teens across Idaho shows that young people are not only paying attention to these issues, they want to be part of the solution,” said Jennie Sue Weltner, campaign manager for Welcome to the Unaltered State. “Their voices and creativity are powerful. And I am really excited that this is the first time we have had a winner from outside the Treasure Valley.”
Nine teens won first place awards including students from Lewiston, Filer, Emmett, and the Treasure Valley, reflecting growing statewide participation in the campaign. An additional 16 teens won honorable mention in the contest.
The Welcome to the Unaltered State campaign, produced by Idaho Public Television, focuses on upstream prevention by encouraging positive youth identity, healthy risk-taking, connection, and informed decision-making. The campaign addresses the realities facing Idaho youth today, including vaping, alcohol, marijuana, fentanyl, and the broader youth mental health crisis.
Winning videos will be featured as part of the campaign’s digital and social media outreach efforts throughout the year.
For a full list of winners and their videos, and more information about the campaign, visit Welcome to the Unaltered State.
