Democracy Video Challenge 2010

8 October 2009

Democracy Video Challenge 2010 logo

The U.S. Department of State has launched the second edition of the Democracy Video Contest for young filmmakers across the globe. Last year’s grand prize winner, Łukasz Szozda of Poland, travelled to the United States in September (New York, Washington DC, and Hollywood), where he and five grand prize winners from other regions around the world met with democracy activists and members of the film and television industry. The videos by Mr. Szozda and the other regional winners were featured in a gala screening hosted by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Lukasz Szozda’s winning entry

To enter this year’s edition of the Democracy Video Challenge, contestants (18 or older) should create a short video (max. 3 minutes) that completes the phrase “Democracy is…” and submit it through the DVC/YouTube website. Videos must be in English or have English subtitles but they can be in any style: fiction or documentary, animated or live action.  Contestants may enter anonymously, but anonymous winners cannot collect the grand prize. Submission deadline is midnight (GMT) on January 31, 2010. For detailed information, please visit the official Democracy Video Challenge homepage. Good luck!

THE PRIZE:

• An all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood.
• Gala screenings of the winning videos in Hollywood, New York and Washington
• Exposure to filmmakers and the U.S. film and television industry.
• Meetings with democracy advocates from government, media and civil society.

DVC 2010 TIMELINE:

September 15, 2009 - January 31, 2010: Video Submissions
March 31, 2010: Each country selects semifinalists
May 15, 2010: Independent jury selects 21 finalists from all semifinalists worldwide
May 15 - June 15: Public Voting online for winning videos
June 2010: Seven winners announced (one each from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Central Asia, East Asia/Pacific and one anonymous winner)
September 2010: Grand-prize winners travel to the United States

DVC 2010 PARTNERS:

• New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Tisch Asia/Singapore and the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication.
• Center for International Private, Enterprise, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute.
• Motion Picture Association of America, NBC Universal, Recording Industry Association of America, and YouTube.
• International Youth Foundation and TakingITGlobal.