Video Contest for Polk County High School Students

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ContestVote 2017 Winners:
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Germaine Joseph (on right) led the team that won First Place for "Take Action" and Henry Clagett led the team that won Second Place for "Have Your Voice Heard."   Congratulations to all who participated!  See the videos:

     1st - https://youtu.be/I32XFnJWVJQ 
    2nd - https://youtu.be/QZKKOU7LBTo 
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Are you good at creating videos?   If so, engage your audience through an educational, fun video informing young Floridians on critical facts about about civic and political participation in their communities! Videos should be geared towards a youthful audience. Entrants will be competing for the First Place Prize of $700.00.  
                                            Check out our promotional video here.

Voting Impacts the Lives of Young People Have you ever heard the myth that your vote doesn't count?   That it doesn't matter who is elected?  Well, it’s actually not so.

Do you care about:
·   Financial aid for college?
·   Finding a job when you graduate?
·   Funding for sports and music programs, prom and other events at your school?

Guess what?  Every single one of those things, and so many more, are decided by our elected officials (the people who run your school board, work in city hall and represent you in Congress).  They are making decisions every day that impact your life.

Video Requirements:
Video Requirements:
1.     The theme is “Civic and Political Participation.” Convey the importance of young people (ages 18-29) continuing political and civic participation in their communities after an election.
2.     Use one or more of the following as the topic of your video to show why young people should care, how they're affected and what they can participate in:
  • The importance of political participation and civic participation at the local, state, or federal levels,
  • Examples of political participation and civic participation, such as registering to vote, keeping informed, communicating with elected officials, and participating in political functions.
  • The responsibilities of citizens volunteering, communicating with government officials, informing others about current issues, participating in a political campaign, joining nonpartisan political organizations (such as the League of Women Voters ).
  • Involvement in a service project to further the public good. Examples are school, community, state, national, international.
  • Other examples of citizen participation, such as sending emails, joining peaceful demonstrations, visiting with government officials, attending open government meetings and writing letters to the editor, to achieve change.
 We can’t complain about the way things are going if we don’t stand up for what we believe in and what we want.  Participation is our chance to take control over what happens to us, our families, and our community.
 
     3. Include concrete examples and facts, such as:
  • Define Civic Participation, Political Participation, and Common Good.  See https://youtu.be/IBrmwYdp6gU to help get you started.
  • Appear before a local government body (e.g., city or county commission, county school board) in support of or opposition to a measure under consideration.
  • Examples of civic involvement by individuals (e.g., obeying the law, paying taxes, helping neighbors after a storm, registering to vote) that contribute to the common good.
  • Examples of civic involvement by groups (e.g., establishing a community garden or neighborhood park, joining a local non-profit group) that contribute to the common good.
 
4. Include other facts and concrete examples pertinent to young people, such as:
  • Benefits for young people involved in civic participation include becoming more successful and more employable; ·gaining skills, knowledge, self-esteem; and becoming more connected to the community.
  • Civic engagement helps to develop leadership skills and to make meaningful community contributions.
  • Political involvement is important because our government is founded on the active participation of the citizens to influence the decision-making process.
 
Must be 1 - 3 minutes long.


May be animated, comedy, drama, contain music, etc.  Should not contain violence, nudity, endorsement of illegal activity, etc.


All videos must be submitted in mp4 or .mov format and must be 200MB or less.


Important Dates
  • Monday, February 13th: Contest Opens to Entry Forms
  • Monday, March 20th: Video Submission Opens
  • Monday, April 17th at 11:59 pm: Video Submission Ends
  • Thursday, April 20th: Judging Occurs

Prizes 

First Place:  $700, distribution of award-winning video, and public recognition at Winner's Reception Award Ceremony.

Second Place:  $350, certificate, recognition at Winner's Reception Award Ceremony.

Third Place:  $150, certificate, recognition at Winner's Reception Award Ceremony.

Honorable Mention:  certificate, recognition at Winner's Reception Award Ceremony.

Select video submissions will be posted on the contestVOTE website (http://www.youtube.com/user/contestvote) and on the League of Women Voters of Polk County’s Facebook page.

The League of Women Voters of Polk County is sponsoring this contest.  The League:

o   is nonpartisan
o   encourages participation in government
o   works to empower citizens to take control of their democracy
o   promotes voter registration and education

Contest Rules:  See detailed contest rules.

Contest Entry Form:  Complete the form here & email it to [email protected]