Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania invite you to submit a short explainer video as part of the People-Powered Fair Maps initiative.
While we’re social distancing we’re looking for ways to connect, engage and share what we know about gerrymandering and the need for redistricting reform.
What better way to do that than with a video contest for anyone interested?
Teachers, feel free to use this as a class assignment. Group efforts (done remotely) are welcome.
Families, feel free to use this as a family project. The more fun and all-age-friendly the better.
To get you started, consider one of the following questions (or ask your own!):
- How would you explain gerrymandering to someone who had never heard the word?
- How could you show that PA district maps don’t need to be drawn the way they are?
- Is there a way to demonstrate the way strangely shaped districts impact voters or communities?
CONTEST SUMMARY:
WHO can participate? Anyone interested in gerrymandering and redistricting reform.
TOPIC: Gerrymandering, gerrymandered district maps and the need for redistricting reform.
PRIZES: Visa gift cards: $500 for top entry; $300 second prize; $100 third prize.
LENGTH: 2 minutes or less
FORMAT: Any format supported by YouTube upload.
STYLE: Submissions can be live action or animation. Anything that might work in a TV commercial would be considered eligible (song, straight-forward information, cartoon, dramatic portrayal, voice-over – be creative).
SELECTION CRITERIA: Videos will be judged on creativity, clarity, quality and contribution to viewer understanding.
DEADLINE: Contest submissions must be uploaded to Youtube, then online entry form completed and release forms received by email before midnight, May 15, 2020. Winners will be announced by June 1, 2020.
HOW WILL WINNING ENTRIES BE USED? Submitted videos will be used on Youtube, social media, local group meetings and more.
SUBMITTING YOUR VIDEO:
Videos should be posted on YouTube. All uploaded videos must be viewable under the public or unlisted settings. You will need to have a YouTube account in order to do this. Here’s how:
- If you don’t have one already, create a free YouTube account via Google by visiting www.youtube.com.
- Click “Sign In” in the top right of the screen.
- Then click “Create Account”.
- Follow the prompts.
- Once you have an account, upload your video and set to public or unlisted privacy (not private) so judges can screen your video.
Entrants must comply with the technical and all other requirements of YouTube. Go to the YouTube Help page.
NOTE: Save your video in the original format after uploading it to YouTube. If your submission is a finalist you may be asked to provide us with your submission in its original format.
SUBMITTING AN ENTRY FORM:
- Once your video has been uploaded to YouTube, submit an entry information with YouTube URL. Although groups may work together, one group member must be designated the primary contact. That person should complete the Contest Entry Form, which also serves as a contest release form for that individual.
- Any additional group member (creator or actor) must provide a Contest Release Form.
- Any participant under 18 (creator or actor) must provide a release form with parental consent.
- Download Contest Release Form, here. It is a fill-able PDF that can be completed using Adobe Reader or other PDF Readers software. If that doesn’t work, print, fill out, and send by email as attachments to communications@fairdistrictspa.com.
- Video AND entry information must be submitted before midnight on May 15, 2020.
QUESTIONS: Email communications@fairdistrictspa.com
Forms
Contest Entry Form
Contest Release Form
Contest Rules:
- The contest is open to anyone.
- By submitting your video or photographs, you release all materials, including captions and name, to be used by Fair Districts PA, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and the People-Powered Fair Maps initiative for educational and promotional purposes. This includes, but is not limited to print, video, and digital mediums.
- The video must be two minutes or shorter.
- You can submit as many videos as you would like but you can only win once.
- Any video that incorporates the Fair Districts PA, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and/or People-Powered Fair Maps logos, cannot be used for any other purpose than as a submission to this contest.
- All music must be used legally. You can create your own music, get written permission from the artist or sample free music from any of these websites:
- Contest entries must observe Youtube Community Guidelines
Videos must not:
- Have been entered in other contests or won other awards.
- Support, demean, or defame any political party or person.
- Include mention or performance of any copyrighted media production including but not limited to music, films, books, television programming, etc., or identifying descriptions of any media property.
- Contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to material that violates privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement.
- Include third party trademarks, logos, insignia, location signage, photographs, artwork, or sculptures.
- Contain material that is indecent, obscene, pornographic, hateful, defamatory, slanderous, libelous, objectionable, or otherwise lacking in taste or quality in the views of the judges.
- Contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred, or harm against any group or individual.
- Contain any material that is unlawful.
Disclosures
- All entries become the property of Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and may be used in whole or in part at its discretion. Videos will not be returned. Entrants and their legal guardians convey a universal, irrevocable, and exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, exhibit, transmit, and/or broadcast the videos without payment or further consent.
- By entering the contest, all entrants agree to permit the use of their picture, name, and other personal information for publicity by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and its designees.
- By submitting the video, the entrant and the entrant’s team represent and warrant that: 1) all submitted material, including but not limited to the video and everything depicted in the video, is wholly original and does not infringe upon or otherwise violate any right of any person, firm, or entity; 2) he/she has all rights, licenses, permissions, and consents necessary to submit the video in the contest in accordance with these terms and conditions; and3) no person/entity other than the entrant and his or her team has any right, title, interest, or arrangement to the video, including but not limited to, music publishing agreement, recording agreement, production agreement, or any similar agreement.
- By entering the contest, the entrant agrees that the Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and their designees may post his/her video, or any part thereof, on its website or other websites and submit it for television and/or other broadcast.
- The entrant agrees that Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania has the right to modify, edit, and/or adapt the video as necessary as well as to reproduce it, and/or distribute it in whole or in part, without compensation or further notice to the entrant.
- If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, suspend or extend the Contest and, in the event of any termination or cancellation, select winners from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the termination or cancellation.
- Prize money in the form of a Visa gift card will be given directly to the primary contact to be divided by participants on their own terms. The Sponsor is not responsible for allocating prize money among individual participants.
- The contest is subject to all federal, state, and local laws.
- Void where prohibited by law.