Universe Adventure YouTube Video Contest
So you think you can take an ordinary science idea and turn it into an extraordinary online video? Well, here's your chance to prove it. We want California high school students to share their science know-how with the world. By joining our Student Video Contest they can show off their science savvy for a chance to win prizes! Entry deadline is June 15th, 2009, and the contest is open to California high school students only. Examples of student videos that explain physical principles can be found here.
How to Enter | Entry Eligibility | The Rules | Judging Criteria | Prizes
The Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics (BCCP) is sponsoring a YouTube competition to engage high school teachers and their students in a creative learning process combining social networking, science education, and peer learning. This competition challenges participants to create a video on YouTube that demonstrates one of the key fundamental scientific principles or physical laws that governs cosmology or astrophysics in the universe. The winning students and their teacher will be awarded prizes.
BCCP invites students to review our website http://UniverseAdventure.org and then to produce videos that illustrate scientific principles and physical laws describing the Universe such as those outlined on the website. The goal is to creatively explain and present the selected principle or law in a clear, entertaining and thought-provoking way. See these five videos produced by students during a summer workshop as examples.
After submission, the students will review and vote on the productions of their peers (learning more about science and science education through the process). BCCP staff will judge the competition and, in combination with the popular online vote, select winners.
How to Enter
Before producing your video, check with your science teacher for guidance about the scientific concepts you're planning to explore. Peruse through UniverseAdventure.org, taking note of all the possible concepts and principles you could explain. Remember, we're looking for videos that do more than just show off cool stuff. Winning videos will accurately explain the scientific principles behind what's happening. Your science teacher can be your best resource.
Next, you can begin to create your video. Videos must be shot, edited and produced entirely by students. No professional help is permitted. Remember, while your video should be creative and original, it still needs to have science at its core. Careful preparation can make a huge difference in the quality of your product. Check out these Video Production Tips to create a quality video.
Once you have created your video, please submit an online entry form.
To submit your video, go to www.youtube.com and create a free acount if you don't already have one. Log in to your account, join the Universe Adventure Video Contest group, and upload your video. The deadline to upload your video is June 15th, 2009.
After the submission deadline, return to our YouTube contest group page, browse videos by other students, and vote on your favorite!
Entry Eligibility
Open to all high school teachers and their currently enrolled students in grades 9 through 12 (at least 14 years of age) at a full time in a California public, private or home school.
Students must be U.S. citizens or legal residents living within the United States or its territories.
Students under the age of 18 must have their parent's permission to enter.
Students must work under the guidance of their high school science teacher who will oversee safety, and they may work in teams of up to 5 students.
The participants agree that BCCP may display and use their videos on its website.
The Rules
Students entrants must complete an entry form signed/verified by their teacher (confirmed via email) containing their name(s), their ages & school grade level, the title of the video, and the scientific principle or law the video depicts.
Videos must be 1- 5 minutes long.
The video should explain, in a clear and entertaining way, a fundamental concept or physical law that influences the cosmology or astrophysics of the universe.
The video itself should include the following: 1. The name(s) of the student(s) and teacher. 2. The standard science name for the principle or law selected - for example, Newton's universal law of gravitation. 3. A discussion of how the principle or law influences the cosmology or astrophysics of the universe. 4. A clear visual demonstration of the principle or law in action. A reference to part of the UniverseAdventure.org web site being relied on.
The video must not contain content that is inappropriate or dangerous.
The video must contain only original material.
The videos must only be submitted in English. (We will expand to Spanish and other languages in later contests.)
Make sure to keep science at the forefront, although credit will be awarded for creativity, entertainment value and quality.
Judging Criteria
Each Judge will rate the video on each of the following criteria as (1) fair; (2) good; (3) very good; or (4) outstanding:
1. Explanation of the Scientific Concept.
The most important aspect of the video is how well it explains the scientific concept. Here are some points we will be considering:
- How well is the scientific concept explained?
- Is the scientific concept well defined?
- Is the video clear and easy to follow? Did the ideas seem well thought out?
- Is the information in the video accurate?
- Is the idea explained completely? Are any key facts missing?
- Is the concept explained in more than one way? A second way of understanding the concept could be using an analogy to everyday life or a clear visual demonstration of the principle using everyday objects.
- Does the video explain why the concept is significant?
2. Relevance to Students
The video should also aim to make science fun and interesting for high school students.
We will consider:
- Is the video entertaining?
- Does the video make science relevant to high school students?
- Would High School students enjoy watching the video?
- Does the video give use the correct scientific terminology relating to the principle but explain these terms so that high school students can understand?
- Can high school students understand the concept from watching this video?
3. Video Quality
While the content of the video is the most important aspect, we will also consider:
- Is the video well made?
- Do the ideas in the video flow smoothly and logically?
- Does it appear that a lot of effort was put into making the video?
- Are the spoken parts of the video clear and easy to understand?
- Is the video well edited?
4. Creativity
- Is the content creative and original?
- How well does the video make use of visual media and sound?
- Does the video explain science in a particularly unique and effective way?
- We will take the 'limited school resources' factor into account.
BCCP staff will determine the winner by combining the highest composite score with the student online vote. In the case of a tie, the video with the best score of peers will win.
Prizes
The winning entry will be featured on our website, www.universeadventure.org, and will be linked to the BCCP's main web page between July 1, 2009 through October 1, 2009. The winning video will receive:
$1500 in new equipment and prize money for the student participant(s)
Roundtrip airfare and lodging in Berkeley, California for the participating teacher to attend the BCCP Global Teachers' Academy, a two week program in July 2009
A chance to meet and interact with some of the world's leading researchers and educators from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley
Fall 2009, 30-minute, classroom video event, featuring Nobel Laureate George Smoot
The winning video will presented to the Global Teacher's Academy workshop participants
The winning video will also be featured on our Universe Adventure website
For questions about the video contest, please contact us at contest.universeadventure[at]gmail.com.
