Purpose: The video contest aims to reinforce among PA students the importance of civic engagement by challenging them to increase awareness in PA of the power of voting through creation of TV-type advertisements.

Timeline: The contest begins on September 1, 2008. Video submissions will be accepted from September 1, 2008 through October 23rd, 2008 at www.penncord.org via a link to a special landing page on OurStage, www.ourstage.com/go/penncord. Online voting will begin October 1, 2008 and will conclude October 31, 2008. Prize winners will be announced in early November based upon all videos submitted.

Prizes: Grand Prize winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize, $1,000 for their school to be used towards a program that promotes civic learning and engagement in the student body, and an all-expense paid trip to either Harrisburg to see our state government in action or to Philadelphia to visit the National Constitution Center - both include lunch with the Governor and First Lady of Pennsylvania. In addition, the wining entry will be broadcast on Comcast Newsmakers to be carried on CNN Headline News on all Comcast cable systems in Pennsylvania for approximately two weeks. Runner-Up Prize winners will receive a $1,000 cash prize, and $500 for their school to be used towards a program that promotes civic learning and engagement in the student body. The Top 20 videos will be aired on Comcast Local Video on Demand.

Video Format: Videos should be in television commercial format between 30 to 60 seconds in length. Videos longer than 60 seconds will not be accepted. (Most commercial TV ads are 30 seconds in length). The video can be staged as a short play, commercial, news broadcast, talk show, music video, animation, documentary, public service announcement, etc.

Video Topics: The theme of the contest is “Voting: The Power of Your Voice.” Contestants determine the style and tone of their videos.

Judging: Pennsylvania will have the final say! All PA residents can view and vote for their favorite videos on the web at www.ourstage.com/go/penncord, starting on October 1.

Producers: PennCORD, First Lady Marjorie O. Rendell and OurStage.com

Partners: Pennsylvania Department of State, Pennsylvania Department of Education

Sponsors: Comcast, BrownPartners

Eligibility: Students must be in sixth grade or above to enter the contest. Schools can have more than one individual/group enter the video contest. However, only one group can be responsible for each video. Students producing the video must all be from the same school.

Groups of no more than 10 students from the same school or individual students can produce a video - a teacher may serve in an advisory role only. However, only one team can be responsible for each video. Schools can have more than one individual/team enter the video contest. No professional assistance can be provided to produce this video in any manner.

Submissions: In order to submit a video in this online contest the student or group leader must open an account on OurStage’s website. Due to federal laws governing the internet, this person must be 13 years of age, though other members of his/her group may be younger. Each entry must be the original work of the student or group of students submitting the video. It may not contain copyrighted material, such as popular songs, magazine cutouts, music videos, etc..., unless permission has been granted for its use. Use of copyrighted material without permission automatically disqualifies the entry.

Students under the age of 18 who win prizes must obtain parental permission to receive the award. Absence of parental or guardian approval can lead to dismissal of the award.

The student or group leader must complete the online entry form at www.penncord.org before uploading the video. Instructions for uploading videos can be accessed at www.penncord.org.

While the videographer retains ownership and copyright of the videos, entry of the video in the contest gives PennCORD and its partners the right to reproduce and display the video and stills from the video for promotional and educational purposes.

Read full contest rules here.