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5 Easy Ways to Enter a Video or Photo Essay Contest

Thanks to Create the Good for this guest post!

Are you dreaming of making your community a better place? Create the Good is here to help! That’s why we’re getting ready to launch the 2018 Dream Builders Video Contest, which celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by highlighting the inspiring projects of dreamers like you across the country. The contest launches on January 15, 2018. Enter and you could win a donation to the local nonprofit of your choice to help make your dream a reality! 

Here’s how it works. Submit your video (of no more than one minute) or a photo and essay (of no more than 500 words) detailing your dream project to help improve your community. Be sure to include information on the nonprofit you are working with (or would like to work with) to make it happen. Prizes, as large as a $2,500 donation, will be awarded to support multiple winning projects. That’s huge! 

So how can you enter? Submit a one minute video or a photo essay here! Check out these 5 easy ways to create and submit your video or photo: 

1. Use your smartphone: Taking photos or recording video on your smartphone is as simple as a couple of clicks.

For video on an iPhone or Android, tap the Camera icon and then slide the menu choice at the bottom to "video." Turn your phone to a landscape/horizontal view for more coverage, and record. 

For photos, follow the typical steps to take a photo, and keep your attention on the focal point. Try to capture as much as possible on the screen to maximize the impact of your image.

Other photo tips include:

  • Turning off your flash
  • Using Burst mode for action shots
  • Turning on the HDR Auto setting
  • Tapping and holding down the spot on your screen that you want to focus on, a yellow AE/AF Lock alert will appear. Click that to set and lock your focus point

Once you’re done, you can upload the video or photos right from your phone to the contest entry page, or email it to yourself, iMessage it to other devices, or send it via Facebook messenger. 

2. Use pre-installed software: Good news, your Mac laptop may already have iMovie on it. This pre-installed software makes it easy to take photos and videos and pop them onto a pre-designed template with background music and everything! Have a PC? Use PowerPoint to create a snazzy slideshow of photos and testimonials with music and production value to boot.

3. Use a free, online website: Online video and slideshow-making platforms also make a one minute video submission a snap! Using your photos, video clips, quotes and handwritten messages, services like Animoto or Kizoa help you build short videos in minutes. You can add text, special effects, music and more.

For photos, there are a ton of third party apps on your phone to use to customize your photo – add text, add a banner or frame the picture. Check these out: Pic Collage, Pic Stitch or PicLab.

4. Ask for help: No matter who you are, you’re just a few degrees away from a teenager who knows the ins and outs of social media and how to create cool photos and videos. Ask a neighbor’s kid to help or get a whole group behind it, whether it’s the school, a nonprofit, a Girl Scout Troop you name it – someone is bound to be able to help you pull off a video entry.

5. Get the community involved: Ask your fellow community members to help with your entry. The more the merrier and the more quickly your video will come together. Keep in mind that each video entry needs to be one minute or less to be considered a valid entry. Submit your Dream Builders project today!