Interact video contest deadline is 3 December

Interactors: Share your club’s story by entering a short video in the annual Interact video contest. This year, to celebrate Interact’s 50th anniversary, Interactors or their sponsoring clubs can choose one of three themes:

• Past: The unbelievable history of my Interact club (with bonus points awarded for including interviews with former Interactors)
• Present: Five ways my Interact club makes the world a better place
• Future: Interact 2062 -- How Interact will change the world in the next 50 years

“I think the most enjoyable part of our contest experience was watching students engage with one another to achieve a goal,’’ says Laurie Coburn, sponsor  of the Interact Club of Episcopal School of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, which won the grand prize in last year’s contest.

The club’s winning video, Change 4 Change, chronicles the middle school students’ schoolwide project to raise funds for and awareness of Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign. 

“Students were willing to put in extra time and effort to accomplish something outside of themselves for others,” says Coburn. “Middle school students get a bad reputation for being selfish, but when someone is in need, you can count on them to be the first to volunteer to help. It was a fabulous experience for all of us.”

How to enter

To enter the 2012 video contest, choose one of the three themes. Create an account on YouTube, upload your video, and then submit your contest entry form online or by email, fax, or mail by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on 3 December.

All Interact club and sponsor Rotary club members are eligible to enter. Those younger than 18 must indicate parental consent on the entry form.

The grand-prize winner's video will be featured on the RI website, and the winner will receive an engraved plaque. Three finalists will receive a personalized certificate signed by RI President Sakuji Tanaka. And grand-prize and finalist videos will be featured for a year on RI’s Official Interact Video Contest YouTube page.

To ensure that your video is not disqualified, check out the do's and don'ts below, and read the complete contest rules. You can also read tips from last year’s winner.

Do 

• Be creative and have fun
• Incorporate one of the three themes
• Make sure your video is between 30 seconds and three minutes long
• Submit your video in English or with English subtitles
• Use royalty-free music

Don't 

• Include copyrighted music, images, footage, artwork, or videos
• Include trademarks, logos, or brand names other than the official Interact logo or name
• Submit a video that has been previously published, submitted, distributed, or aired
• Submit a video that you did not create
• Enter multiple videos

Questions? Email interact@rotary.org.