Whether you’re in third grade or are a post-graduate, if you love filmmaking, we may have the perfect opportunity for you: the Young Filmmakers Contest! Each year, the contest awards between $100 and $1,000 to applicants who submit videos about environmentalism. While there are seven categories split by age group and video type, each applicant’s video must relate to conservation or environmentalism in some way. While those in grade 11 and under are restricted to more specific topics, those in grade 12 and above have more freedom. Submissions may also be submitted individually or in groups. The contest is offered by the One Earth Film Festival, the Midwest’s premier environmental film festival that “creates opportunities for understanding climate change, sustainability and the power of people.”

If you want to express your love for the earth through film, we encourage you to apply to the Young Filmmakers Contest! This is a great opportunity not just to earn money for college, but also to gain more film experience and bring awareness to important issues.

• To enter the Contest, entrants must be in one of the following grade level categories at the time of submission. There will be one winner in each of the following seven (7) categories. Occasionally, there will be a tie, allowing for two winners in a category.
• Elementary (grades 3, 4, 5) (or ages 8 to 11)
• Middle School (grades 6, 7, 8) (or ages 11 to 14)
• High School (grades 9, 10, 11) (or ages 14 to 17)
• Senior Year + University (grade 12 or active, enrolled university students) (or ages 17 to 25)
• Post-Graduate (recent university graduate) (or ages 22 to 25)
• Animation/Stop-Motion (grade 6 to Post-Graduate) (or ages 11 to 25)
• Sally Stovall Planet Warrior Prize for Creativity (grade 12 to Post-Graduate) (or ages 17 to 25)
• Note: students who have completed grade 11 and submit an entry before commencing grade 12 will be considered entrants for grade 12.
• Contest entries may be submitted by an individual, or by a group of any size (ex: a group of friends, an after-school program, or an entire class). In the case of group submission, the appropriate entry level is the age/grade of the oldest group member. One prize will be awarded to the entire group as a whole.