The 2008 Living Democracy Video Contest
"The Value of Voter-owned Elections"
Video Contest Theme (Take a look at the contest flier here)
In 2004 nearly $4 billion were spent on federal elections. Much more may be spent in this election cycle with its extended primary season. Should there be limits on and rules for campaign spending? Should a candidate go private funding (Obama) or public funding (McCain)? What's a PAC, and why should they run ads?
To promote understanding of advantages/disadvantages of publicly/privately financed elections at local, state, and national levels, students are asked to research election funding. Is a contribution an issue of free speech or subversion of independence? Are donations paying for expensive advertising or buying a candidate's future vote? Is your government for sale?
The Living Democracy Committee of Bloomington-Normal, the American Democracy Project at ISU, and the ISU Documentary Project are asking you to research, decide, film your answer and share it with the community... and hey, why not?... the world!
Contest Rules (Download contest packet here)
- Eligibility: To enter the contest, you must be either
- A high school student (grades 9-12 during the 2008-09 school year), OR
- A student enrolled in a college or university during the 2008-09 school year
- Video Requirements
- A 2-10 minute video addressing the theme: "The value of voter-owned elections"
- Encoded and written to DVD
- No obscene content. Video should merit a "PG" rating.
- Do not use copyrighted images or audio you do not have the rights to. (Some material may be acceptable due to educational exemption under Fair Use laws.)
- Deadlines and Submission
- High school entries due by September 30, 2008
- College entries due by October 31, 2008
- Fill out the Submission Form
- Attach Submission Form with 2 DVDs, and mail or deliver to Dr. John McHale, 453 Fell Hall, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790
- Judging Criteria: Entries will be evaluated by
(Click here for more details)
- Adherence to rules mentioned above
- Overall impact
- Originality
- Cinematic style
- Structural considerations
- Announcement of Winners
- High school winners will be announced October 24, 2008.
- College winners will be announced December 3, 2008.
- Videos will also be featured and recognized at the 2009 Socio-Political Film Festival in April.
Contest Resources
These documents can aid in your research and understanding of election financing:
List of All Available Documents
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