Video Contest Launched to Promote Dialogue on Democracy
The Democracy Video Challenge, a global call to action celebrating democracy, was launched in New York during International Democracy Day at the United Nations. The Challenge invites citizens from around the world to create short videos that complete the phrase: "Democracy is..." in an effort to enhance the global dialogue on democracy.
The Democracy Video Challenge is a new effort supported by a unique partnership comprised of democracy and youth organizations, the film and entertainment industry, academia, and the U.S. government.
The Challenge will honor seven winning videos: one each from Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, and one anonymous video. The winning videos will be selected by global online voting. The video platform is being provided by YouTube (www.youtube.com/democracychallenge).
The winners will participate in screenings of their videos in Hollywood, New York, and Washington, D.C., hosted by the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association of America. In New York and Hollywood, the winners will spend time on TV/film sets, and will meet with directors, film technicians, professional talent agents, and new media experts. They will also receive tickets to the Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles. In Washington, D.C., the winners will meet with democracy advocates, the media, and U.S. government officials.
Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine will identify 3 winning videos from Ukraine that will be honored during special ceremony hosted by the Ambassador.
The deadline for submitting videos is January 31, 2009. Rules and detailed information could be found at
http://www.videochallenge.america.gov/ in English
http://www.videochallenge.america.gov/ru/ in Russian