Video Contest FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the “God’s work. Our hands.” video contest
- Do I have to be an ELCA member to enter?
It depends! Only ELCA congregations are eligible to enter in the congregation category. Each congregation must have a contact person who submits the video on behalf of the congregation. Entrants in the individual category do not need to be ELCA members. But your video must showcase stories about people of faith doing God’s work with their hands.
- Can I submit a group entry?
You may work as a team for either the congregation or individual category, but the video must be submitted by one person. In the congregation category, the prize will be awarded to the congregation named in the entry. In the individual category, the prize will be awarded to the person who submitted the entry.
- What is the contest schedule?
Contest Kick-Off:
June 15, 2009
Submission Window:
June 15 - July 15, 2009
Submission Deadline:
July 15, 2009
Public Viewing and Rating:
June 15 - July 22, 2009
Winners Announced:
August 2009 at the Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis.
- How and where do I submit my video entry?
Beginning June 15, all videos may be uploaded digitally here once you’ve completed the registration form. Click here for complete uploading guidelines.
- What is the theme of the ELCA video contest?
The contest theme is “God’s work. Our hands.” How do you see God at work through the hands of the people in your life? Maybe it’s a ministry your congregation does or something you’ve been doing on your own. Think small as well as big: God’s work happens in those little interactions between friends or strangers as well as in recovery efforts after a natural disaster. What are the hands of God’s people doing in service to the world? Look around and let us know! We welcome your funny stories too; after all, humor was God’s idea! The possibilities to show God’s work in the world through our hands are endless. Use your creativity to share a story that inspires you!
- How long should my video be?
Videos must be between 30 and 90 seconds in length.
- How are winners chosen?
From June 15 through July 22, anyone who registers as a site user can view and rate all the videos entered in the contest. If you or your congregation has entered a video, be sure to invite everyone you know to view and rate your video. The top ten in each category (congregation and individual) will be determined by ratings. (In the case of a tie, we’ll also look at the number of views.) These videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges who will select winners based on the following criteria: creativity, ability to inspire, interpretation of theme and popularity. The winning entries will be announced in August 2009 at the Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, Minn.
- How will I know if my video is one of the finalists that will be viewed by the judges?
The finalists will be notified prior to an announcement made on the Web site.
- How will I know if I won the contest?
We will notify the winner directly using contact information submitted with the video.
- What are the contest rules and guidelines?
A full listing of rules and guidelines are available here. Important highlights include:
- All video entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. CDT on July 15, 2009.
- Entries must be 90 seconds or less in duration and in .mp4, .AVI, .MOV or .MPG format.
- All entries must include the ELCA brandmark and the URL (www.elca.org/videocontest).
- Starting June 15, 2009, through July 15, 2009, video entries can be submitted digitally online.
- The title of your video must include your full name (as it appears in your registration) and the format.
- All the work you enter must be original. Note: Hymns in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) or the Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) that are copyrighted material may not be used.
- We’re running a family-friendly contest! Videos with profanity, discriminatory language or other inappropriate content will automatically be disqualified. See the official contest rules for more details.
- Can I submit more than one entry?
Yes, you can submit as many entries as you like. However, only one prize per individual or congregation will be awarded.
- How do I rate a video?
First make sure you’re registered. To register, click on “sign up” in the upper right-hand corner of the www.godsworkourhands.org Web page. Complete the new registration form. You’ll be asked to verify your e-mail account with an automated message sent to your e-mail inbox. Open the message and confirm your registration by clicking on the link. You will not be able to login until this step has been completed.
To rate a video, login to www.godsworkourhands.org. After watching a video that inspires you, simply click on the number of stars you’d like to give the video. One star equals 10 percent and 10 stars equal 100 percent. This is the same scale that your elementary school teachers used -- the higher the percentage, the better the video. Once you’ve rated a video, you will not be able to rate it again.
- Are number of video views or a video’s rating more important?
The video’s rating is more important. The top 10 most popular videos for each category (10 for the individual category and 10 for the congregational category) will be forwarded to the independent judging panel. Popularity is based on a video’s rating. This is determined by the number times the video is rated and its overall score. Only if there is a tie will the number of times a video has been viewed influence the outcome.
- Why are ratings more important than the number of times a video has been viewed?
Anyone can watch a video over and over again, but one person can rate a video only once. We want to measure true popularity, that’s why we value a video’s rating more. If you are inspired by a video, encourage your friends and family to rate it. Remember, the rating period concludes July 22, 2009.