Click Youth Media Challenge

• Students from Wisconsin in grades K-12. Submissions can be from individual students, groups, or whole-class projects. Videos will be judged individually.
• Educators who submit media pieces for their students will be considered for the Click Media Educator Award, a recognition of excellence in media education, and may receive a scholarship for attending the 2021 Play Make Learn Conference. To be considered for this recognition, teachers are asked to submit a short description of how they integrate media production into their classrooms.

• Videos. Videos can be submitted into four categories: documentary, stop-motion animation, digital journalism, and creative fiction. Submissions should be less than ten minutes in length. Videos can also be a short clip from a longer work.
• Podcasts. Podcasts can be submitted into two categories: fiction and nonfiction. All podcasts should be less than ten minutes in length. In the case of a series, please submit only a single episode.

1. Talk to your students about what kinds of media projects they would like to create.
2. Tie your students’ interest in media production to your upcoming lessons. For example, can students submit a video project instead of a written report?
3. Check out our resources below.

We encourage you and your students to be creative, but if they are stuck on what to make, consider having them create a narrative in any genre including documentary, drama, sci-fi, and comedy; a digital journalism piece exploring current issues; or a digital, hand-drawn, or stop-motion animation of a topic you are learning about in school!

Still not sure? Consider using PBS Wisconsin’s Young Changemakers prompt on the Click Youth Media website. Learn how your students can create a profile video about a peer who is making a difference in their community.

• All submissions must be submitted by June 1, 2021. Click here to access the submission form.
• All submissions must be submitted as either a YouTube or Vimeo link.
• All students who participate in the production (from the actors in the film to the person behind the camera) must submit a signed release form. Students under 18 must have a release form signed by a guardian. Release forms must be included with the submission to be considered. The waiver can be downloaded here.

Submissions will be judged based on the producer’s use of audio and/or image in creating a cohesive story. Student media will be judged in the following categories: 

Elementary Video

Documentary, stop-motion animation, digital journalism, and creative fiction

Elementary Podcast

Fiction and nonfiction

Middle School Video

Documentary, stop-motion animation, digital journalism, and creative fiction

Middle School Podcast

Fiction and nonfiction

High School Video

Documentary, stop-motion animation, digital journalism, and creative fiction

High School Podcast

Fiction and nonfiction

People’s Choice Award

Play Make Learn conference attendees will vote for a winner in the People’s Choice category.

For each category, one video and one podcast will receive a Click Youth Media Challenge certificate, and their media will be showcased on the Play Make Learn website. One media piece for each grade level and the winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive a Click Youth Media trophy and a Play Make Learn/PBS Wisconsin Education award bag full of surprises.

Each submission will be evaluated by a panel of media production professionals. All winning students and educators will be notified no later than July 2021 so they may attend the award ceremony either virtually or in person and participate in a panel discussion with media experts from around the state. Winners will be announced at the 2021 Play Make Learn Conference.

1. Teachers can enter any number of student video or audio productions. 
2. All members of the production team—including but not limited to writer, director, lead cast, cinematographer, editor, musicians, sound, and lighting—must have a signed permission form turned in with the submission.
3. Films can contain stock footage if students have paid for rights or obtained permission. Stock footage in narrative and animation entries should not be more than 10% of the total running time; it may be longer for documentaries. Any music used must be the original work of entrants, except public domain or royalty-free music.
4. Schools are responsible for obtaining permission and/or proper rights to all content (fiction or nonfiction), music, images, and video footage, and should keep such documentation should a copyright holder inquire. Acknowledgement of non-original material must be made in end credits. 
5. Promotion, Publicity, and Marketing. Entrants permit PBS Wisconsin Education and Play Make Learn to use their name and/or likeness, title of work submitted, its logline, and their results for promotional purposes. All films selected for screening may be edited, modified, or excerpted for publicity purposes. 
6. Awards. Awards shall be announced at the 2021 Play Make Learn Conference. Nominees need not be in attendance at the time of the announcement.

• If you and your students do not have access to editing software, contact gdryer@wisc.edu for WeVideo licenses.

This year’s contest will focus on the connection between audio and video. Video producers pay much attention to the ways that audio and video come together to create a particular mood or to compliment a story. 

Here are some resources to help you get started:

Video and Image

A roll and B roll Explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVdHxadCuNM

How to record B roll on your phone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r47vyPklGsY&feature=emb_title

The Ultimate Guide to Camera Shots

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-camera-shots/

Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyBo-qLDeM

How to get your images to “POP”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRmNssfNm8g&feature=emb_logo

Audio 

Audio Dos and Don’ts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJPJUbzCXFw&feature=emb_logo

How to get good sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcJrr7GrP7Y&feature=emb_logo

Starting your podcast: A Guide for Students

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/662070097/starting-your-podcast-a-guide-for-students