For Students

Bring your talent, vision and creative perspective to this project. This competition is to develop a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about the credibility of elections in Washington state.

• Help voters understand how voting works in Washington state.
• Help combat mis- and disinformation about our elections.

Click here to find out how to participate.

Additional questions? Get in touch with us at studentvideocontest@lwvwa.org.

Step-by-Step: How to Participate in the Student Video Contest

1. Decide who is working on this project.
   This can be a solo or group project, with up to three high school students working on it. If this is a group project, identify which team member will be the Lead Producer. This person will serve as the main point of contact with the contest organizers.
   
   
2. Choose a topic for your video.
   The theme of this contest is Election Credibility; we have provided a link to 10 topic choices from which to choose. You’ll review these options and select one for your video. (Note: each option is a ‘flip’ icon, leading to more information.)
   
   
3. Find an advisor for your project. 
   Your advisor should be either a teacher or a leader with a youth organization. Homeschooled students can choose a parent, youth organization leader, or amateur audio/video enthusiast as an advisor.
   
   
4. Register to participate. 
   Fill out this registration form and be ready to submit name and email contact information for your advisor and, if you are under 18, your parent and/or guardian.
   • If your parent or guardian doesn't have access to email, you can download this form, print it out, have it signed, and then upload a copy of the signed form when you submit your application.
5. Make your video.
   We have some suggestions on how to make this video look and sound great.
   
   
6. Get the consent of all talent.
   You also will need to make sure that you have the consent of all identifiable people in your video; voice and/or image, we need their permission. 
   • If your actors are under 18, a parent or guardian must give consent. We will send consent forms upon receipt of parent/guardian names and email addresses. Consent forms can be filled out online.
   • We will send them a link to the form, so you just need to collect names and email addresses for the actors, as well as for their guardians if they are under 18, and include this information when you submit your application. 
   • If they don't have access to email, you can download this form, print it out, have it signed and then upload a copy of the signed form when you submit your application.
7. Make sure you have permission for any sounds and/or other copyrighted materials used in the video.
   Do not download and use previously recorded music, as copyright infringement Is against the law. Original music created by you or your team is ok. If it is original, just let us know. If it is public domain, be able to tell us where you got it from. Otherwise, you must provide a receipt showing you paid for the right to use the music.
   
   
8. Submit your application, including the video.
   The deadline is 11:59 pm on May 1, 2025.

Tips on Making Your Video Better

New To Filmmaking? Here’s everything you need.

Here are some basic tips to follow for making a great video. Check out all the guides and video tutorials we compiled to help you create an even greater video submission. Also, see some other examples of best short information videos to inspire your creative process.

1. Make it original.

Please take a look at some of the world’s best short informational videos… which can be found here at the Ad Council. Try to emulate how they use originality and persuasion to capture the audience. 

2. Plan.

Before you start shooting, make sure you have a clear plan. You should have a script written or storyboarded. This pre-planning will make your video better. You are not required to turn in a script or storyboard to compete in this contest. See Scripting & Storyboarding: Digital Stories Guide for details.

3. Know your camera and camera movements.

4. Remember audio.

Your video is 50% sound, so you need to pay close attention to the sound you gather and the sound you finally use in your video.

Narration needs to sound professional. Use a good recorder… and practice.

Do NOT sound like you are reading… but talking to someone.

See 4 Tips to Improve Your Audio When Recording with a Smartphone for more guidance.

5. Music must not be copyrighted.

You must use original music OR public domain music. Creative Commons is a good place to find music that you can use with permission.

6. Talent Consent Forms.

You must make sure all identifiable actors agree in writing to have their images on your video. All people in your videos will need to sign this talent consent form. You will need to download, print and gather signature. The document will be posted with your submission in the online submission form. (Alternatively, you can have them complete this online version.) If the actors are under 18, you must include their parent’s signature as well.

7. Editing can be hard… you can teach yourself.

Your Final Video Submission Checklist

All criteria must be met in order to be eligible for cash prizes. In addition to posting your video on YouTube as unlisted, your submission needs to include the following:

 Introductory summary of what topic you chose and why.

 All necessary forms signed

 Names and contact info of all participants/team members and school.

 Talent consent forms for all talent used in the video must be completed. You can download paper copies or use an online form. 

 There is no entry fee. However, you must register HERE before you are eligible to submit. Please notice in the registration form students must include parent/guardian email address. Once the contest committee receives this information, an online permission form will be sent to the student’s parent/guardian for permission.

 All registration and permission forms MUST be completed when you upload your video for it to be eligible. Please notice on the submission form you must also include your teacher/supervisor email address. Once the contest committee receives this information, an online verification form will be sent to the student’s teacher/supervisor to confirm originality.

 All entries must be submitted in digital format before midnight on May 1, 2025 (final submission link to be provided later). 

 All information presented in the video must be cited and uploaded to “documents” at the bottom of the submission form, giving credit to the original source. Plagiarism of any kind will result in disqualification.

Rules

1. Students may reside anywhere in Washington state.
2. Students must currently be in grades 9 to 12 as of January 2025.
3. Students may work together in groups of 2, 3, or enter individually.
4. Entries using foreign languages are welcome. However, all entries must be submitted in English, or, if in another language, include English subtitles.
5. Each video (aka Public Service Announcement [PSA]) must have a Student Project Lead acting as the main point of contact. Recognition, however, will be given to all winning project participants.
6. The length of the video must be a minimum of 30 seconds (:30), and no longer than 60 seconds (:60).
7. Entries must be based on one of the themes/ideas provided by the LWVWA.
8. Audio/video and communication professionals may not participate, assist, or supervise students with development of video entries. PSA project support can be accessed from teachers, student advisors, parents, or amateur video enthusiasts. Support is defined as instructive supervision. Adult support can include participation in acting roles and camera operation.
9. There is no entry fee. Click HERE to register.
10. Entries will be judged anonymously. The judges’ decisions are final. Decisions will be made based on the LWVWA judging criteria (e.g., 
    • quality of content
    • presentation
    • creativity
    • strength of message 
11. The only compensation for submitting a LWVWA contest video is the opportunity for the individual or team to be awarded a prize if the entry wins. LWVWA will pay filmmakers no additional compensation nor be liable to the filmmaker under any circumstances.

The Fine Print: Notices to Contestants

Ownership of Video Submitted

1. The League of Women Voters of Washington (LWVWA) will own exclusively all rights, title, and interest in and to any video content upon submission to this contest. All submissions, in part or in whole, along with their corresponding intellectual property, script, and release forms, must be submitted to the LWVWA via the submission portal cited above. The copyright will belong solely to the LWVWA. At its discretion, the LWVWA will have the right to edit, delete or append content to the video contest submission in the final creation of the video. To the extent that any such submissions do not fall within the specifically enumerated works that constitute “works for hire” under the United States copyright laws, and to the extent that any Deliverables include materials subject to copyright or other proprietary right protection, contestants shall irrevocably assign to the LWVWA all their rights, title and interest that may be deemed to have in and to any and all content in contest videos.
2. The LWVWA will grant back to the contestants a license in perpetuity to show their original submission or the finished LWVWA-branded video for single use exhibition, short film festivals, academic or resume submissions, or other similar non-commercial uses.
3. Entrants grant the LWVWA the right to use, reproduce, reprint, distribute, perform, and/or display the entrant’s project video at any time without further compensation or notification to the entrant.
4. Submitters agree to hold LWVWA harmless against any and all claims and/or liability arising out of use of videos at any time. Entrants agree to be bound by the official contest rules and decisions of the judges.

Contest Finalists

• Entries will be judged anonymously. Decisions will be made based on the LWVWA judging criteria (e.g., quality of content, presentation, creativity, strength of message). The judges’ decisions are final.
• The only compensation for submitting a LWVWA contest video is the opportunity to be awarded a prize if the entry wins. LWVWA will pay filmmakers no additional compensation nor be liable to the filmmaker under any circumstances.
• Students should keep at least one copy of their video. The LWVWA is not responsible for any contest videos that are lost, damaged, or that do not upload properly.
• Awards will be presented to winning teams as follows:
• • Cash Awards
  • Certificates will be awarded to all participants on the winning team.