Video Contest Hub
The Intersection of
Video & Opportunity

     According to data from video contest clearinghouse VidOpp.com, 192 video contests with cash prizes were featured on the site in 2007, with prizes totaling $1,095,425. Video contests may be held for any number of reasons – to engage brand loyalists, to create viral video sensations, or to leverage “crowd-sourcing” for new entertainment concepts – but one thing is certain: they are on the rise.

     The most common prize amount was $1000 representing 27% of all contest prizes, with eleven contests featuring prizes of over $25,000. The highest cash prize awarded in a video contest in 2007 was $75,000, offered by Oxygen Media in a contest to create a new web series.

     Big brands have been getting into the act. The Home Depot held their first video contest this year, with a prize of $25,000. According to Manish Shrivastava, President of Home Depot Incentives, “Our goal with this contest is to engage people as they think about what they really want to do around the house to create the home of their dreams.” They received more than 260 qualified entries and more than 10,000 hours were spent viewing the videos over 450,000 times during the contest period. LG Electronics sponsored a video contest that drew 915 entries and over 827,000 video views. With this kind of consumer engagement, it is easy to see why major brands are sponsoring video contests.

Dedicated Contest Sites Bloom

     The increased interest in online video contests has given birth to a number of dedicated video contest websites. These sites range from brand advertising creation contest sites like XLNTads and Black Turtle Media to original entertainment contest sites like OurStage and Filmaka. In an effort to make finding all these contests easier, VidOpp.com is a video contest clearinghouse that brings them together in one place.

     XLNTads.com is one of a new breed of website offering turnkey solutions connecting brand marketers with the emerging community of talented videographers with a platform of supporting infrastructure. They charge clients a fee for hosting contests, and clients pay videographers directly for high quality ads. According to Tony Romeo, SVP and Brand Liaison at XLNTads, “clients see our initiatives as part of an overall marketing campaign.” Specializing in attracting talented amateurs, students and semi-pros, rather than ordinary consumers, XLNTads contests “are meant to produce real advertising, not simply PR,” states Romeo. They hold contests open for 45-60 days and attract 50-100 video submissions per assignment. “10-20% of submissions to our assignments are top quality . . . the creativity is often amazing.”

      The other face of online video contests is the world of original entertainment, epitomized by advertising and sponsor supported music and film discovery site OurStage.com. The aim of OurStage is to provide a platform where “the world’s artists can find their fans and their fans can find them”. They hold monthly tournaments judged by visitor votes, with user submitted original videos progressing from a group of 20 semi-finalists, to 10 finalists, and finally to a $5000 monthly grand prize winner.

Aside from the cash, OurStage attracts talent and sets itself apart by offering artists unique exposure via a network of partnerships with film festivals and sites like Paste & Back Stage, and one-on-one mentoring sessions and “day on the set” opportunities with established artists and directors. They currently have approximately 20,000 music and video artists and receive 2 million video views per month. According to Ben Campbell, Founder & CEO of OurStage.com, “we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the volume of high quality amateur content that exists out there. It’s fascinating to watch and a pleasure to be part of the process to help folks get discovered.”

A Word from the Winners . . .

     Chris Gianelloni, a regular participant in video contests, won $50,000 in the Kraft “Have a Happy Sandwich” contest. An experienced filmmaker, Chris told VidOpp.com that he worked on his entry for two days: “I scripted the whole thing . . . I usually draw out a storyboard first.” He also brought in friend Byran Holmes to add the winning sound track. Chris never expected to win, and advises other filmmakers that “sticking with something pays off in the end. . . Don’t think that just because tons of people are entering a contest that there is no hope for you. Keep with it and hopefully in the end it’ll pay off for you.”

     Lodge McCammon, Curriculum and Contemporary Media Specialist at The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, won $15,000 in the VMware Virtually Famous video contest, his first. Lodge and two colleagues, Sammie Carter and Brian Bouterse, created a 2 minute jingle for VMware which took about 5 hours to write and record. The filming, editing, and uploading took an additional 3 hours, for a total of 8 hours work (that’s over $1800.00 per hour).

     Lodge has an educator’s perspective on the rise of internet video contests. “There has truly been a paradigm shift in the aesthetic of videos that are now being accepted as “professional” . . . with the popularity of sites like Youtube, it is much more important to concentrate on your message and not on the aesthetic of the video. This is an exciting change as it has incredible possibilities for the classroom.”

     He advises filmmakers to “concentrate on your message and not the aesthetic. Keep your video simple so as not to cloud the message. Have fun with thinking it up, filming, editing, and sharing your result. If you don’t have fun creating it, no one will enjoy watching it.”

     Neal Thurman, the CEO of Black Turtle Media, sums up the appeal of online advertising and entertainment video contests, pointing out that “creating a professional look is highly feasible with today’s technology. The only thing standing between you and an excellent final product is the commitment to making it good. If you can’t answer “yes” to the question, “Can I imagine this airing on television?” you might want to keep working.”  You can find new contests to participate in every day at VidOpp.com.

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