February 26, 2015

Student video contest: Climate change impacts in 3 minutes

What does climate change mean to you, in three minutes or less?

That’s what the UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences is asking all high school and undergraduate students in the state of Washington in a video competition that will award up to $5,000 to the top entries in each age category.

The UW Climate Change Video Contest, running now until April 13, is open to any student in the state who wants to enter as an individual or as part of a team. The videos can be in any style imaginable – Claymation, stand-up comedy, music video, short-form documentary, to name a few – and should express how the individuals involved feel about climate change.

The videos can address impacts, challenges and solutions relating to climate change at any scale, from an individual’s day-to-day life to a nation or the entire world.

First-place teams in both age categories will win $5,000 and the runners-up will get $1,000 per team. The videos will be judged by a panel of climate scientists, artists and filmmakers who will be looking for creativity, originality and a powerful message.

The top five teams from each age category will get to meet the judges and see their films displayed on the big screen at a public awards ceremony in May.

The contest is a way for the school to talk about climate change with younger students who will continue to face issues associated with a warming Earth. The contest creators write:

“One of the core issues uniting all of our work is climate change, and how we adapt to a rapidly changing world and natural environment. Much of the responsibility for finding sustainable solutions will fall on the younger generations. That’s what inspired us to host this video competition – to spread awareness and hear your voices on the issue.”

Visit the contest webpage for entry information, including acceptable video file formats. The contest is funded by the Denman Endowment for Student Excellence in Forest Resources.