With about one month to go before the world of 7 billion (W7B) student video contest submissions are due, we thought it would be helpful to dig into what makes a winning video for this contest. Through some diligent research we identified some interesting correlations and suggestions for creating winning videos for the W7B contest! Don’t forget, submissions are due February 28th and are open to all middle and high school students!
So what are winning videos like? We reviewed the past 5 years of World of 7 Billion winners and identified key statistics about the videos that might help you create a winning video of your own this year. Here they are:
- Problem & Solution
Make sure that your video includes information about both the problem and your solution. It is not enough for W7B just to describe the topic that you are creating a video about, you must also describe how you would create a solution to that challenge! Every winning video over the last 5 years has some information about the problem followed by a good description of a solution.
- Music Track
Although it is not a requirement from the W7B rules, the vast majority of winning videos over the last 5 years included some background music or audio to supplement the voices. 97% of the winning high school videos, and 56% of the middle school videos selected as either 1st or 2nd place included a background music track to support their video.
- Video versus Animation?
There was little correlation between the type of video and winning. We grouped videos into four categories: (1) Video, (2) Stop Motion, (3) Slide Show, (4) Animation. Many winning videos included multiple types in one video. However, overall there was little correlation and it does not seem to matter which type of video you create. For high school winners, 30% used animation, 30% used video, 20% used stop motion, and 17% used a slideshow style (remember some videos used multiple styles). So there is little correlation between winning and what style you use. Use whatever style works best for you. There are great video editing apps available for free online, as well as other apps you can use to create simple animations or stop motion videos.
- Statistics
Statistics are important! 90% of first or second place award winners in high school included multiple statistics about the problem or solution they are proposing. These are actual numbers about the topic they’re describing. Additionally, 72% of winning middle school videos also included specific statistics. So make sure to include some detailed statistics in your video to help improve your chances.
Remember, you don’t need to be a professional film-maker to be successful at the World of 7 Billion video contest! In fact, only 10% of the rubric focuses on production (including visual and sound elements). Make sure your video follows the competition guidelines, and try to use these recommendations from our review of past winners, and you’ll have a great shot! Of course, following these recommendations is not a guarantee you will win, but based on our review of the past winners, they could help. Good luck!
With the start of 2019, ICS has been exploring new video contests for students. With all of the advancements in mobile applications for video creation, we wanted to see what is out there for students to put these interests to work for them in academic competitions. And man are there a lot! We put together the following list focusing on national or international level competitions that have deadlines in the spring semester. So if you’re interested in using video to engage students, check them out! And let us know if there are others we should track in our database!
- Youth Making Ripples Video Contest (Deadline 8-Jan-19) – students create videos about their stories or experiences with the ocean.
- Jason Learning Recycling Video and Poster Contest (Deadline 18-Jan-19) – Students in grades K–12 are invited to participate in a national recycling awareness contest
- C-Span’ Student Cam (Deadline 20-Jan-19) – annual national video documentary competition that encourages students to think critically about issues that affect our communities and our nation.
- Courageous Persuaders (Deadline 8-Feb-19) – high school students to create 30-second videos that serve as television commercials on the dangers of underage drinking and texting while driving.
- AASF Make Time to Sleep Video Contest (Deadline 12-Feb-19) – motivating teens to prioritize the importance of sleep in their lives.
- Center for Unsung Heros ArtEffect Project (Deadline 15-Feb-19) – students effect positive change through creative storytelling that celebrates Unsung Heroes from history.
- Center for Unsung Heros Discovery Award (Deadline 15-Feb-19) – use creative talents to research primary sources and develop outstanding projects that feature Unsung Heroes who can serve as role models and inspire others to create change.
- Speak Truth to Power Video Contest (Deadline 17-Feb-19) – students use film as a tool to discuss human rights issues that resonate with them.
- World of 7 Billion Video Contest (Deadline 28-Feb-19) – Create a short video – up to 60 seconds – about human population growth that highlights one of the following global challenges: Preserving Biodiversity, Sustainable Resource Use, Protecting Human Rights.
- TeenDrive 365 Video Challenge (Deadline 28-Feb-19) – Make a video that inspires your peers to drive safely and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of 15 great prizes!
- Career Safe Student Video Challenge (Deadline 1-Mar-19) – challenges students from across the country to create a short video demonstrating safety in the workplace.
- MathCounts Math Video Challenge (Deadline 14-Mar-19) – a free national program that challenges students to develop their math, communication and technology skills in a collaborative video project.
- Green Shorts (Deadline 29-Mar-19) – hosts this environmental short film contest for southern California high school students.
- One Planet, Many People Video Contest (Deadline 16-Apr-19) – create a video no more than 60 seconds in length exploring the impacts of human population growth on their neighborhood, city, state, country, or on our planet.
- TVE Biomovies (Deadline not yet announced) – a video competition for the best youth climate projects happening around the globe.
- Student Transportation Construction Industry Video Contest (Deadline not yet announced) – the contest and has two submission categories: general transportation impacts, trends and/or funding; and transportation safety.
- International Student Travel Video Contest (Deadline not yet announced) – Students interested in traveling internationally can create a short video about the experience.
- Lights, Camera, Save! (Deadline not yet announced) – a teen video contest that encourages teens to educate themselves and their peers about the value of saving and using money wisely.
In school we learn about the water cycle, ecosystems, weather, climate change, and many other aspects of our global environment. We learn about plants, animals, and all kinds of critters that inhabit the Earth with us. However, rarely do our students get the chance to really learn about how humans ourselves are affecting the planet; changing it in ever increasing ways. With over 7 billion people on the planet and a projection to hit 10 billion by 2050, humans may be one of the most important factors in affecting our global environment.
Unfortunately, most teachers don’t have a good opportunity to engage their students in learning much about this critical piece of environmental education. Many schools don’t have the resources or knowledge on how humans actually are impacting our environment. Luckily, this is where extra-curricular competitions like the World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest (W7B) step in and fill the academic-gap.
The World of 7 Billion contest provides both teachers and students with resources to help get started learning about these topics. Competitions like W7B are helping teachers incorporate critical lessons into their classrooms and beyond. W7B alone provides elementary, middle, and high school lesson plans covering everything from carbon emissions to ocean acidification to fertility rates and life expectancy in developing nations. But it’s more than just lesson plans, competitions also provide real money to students and teachers. The World of 7 Billion includes awards up to $1,000 for the best video submissions in each category, and provides over 70 awards in total each year!
How are we changing animal habitats? How are we changing environment to meet our energy needs? How are we changing our own ability to provide environmental, social, and economic security to our ever increasing population? These are three questions that this year’s contest is challenging students to learn about and present their own exciting videos detailing how population change is having an impact.
W7B is just one of an expanding array of environmentally themed competitions that are playing a bigger and bigger role in helping engage students in environmental education topics that are getting less and less time in the formal classroom. If you want to make sure your students are getting a healthy dose of environmental, social impact, and global change education don’t miss out on all of these opportunities. You can find a full list of environmentally related competitions in our ICS database here. But be sure not to miss the World of 7 Billion that is open for submissions now through February 28th, 2019.