Congratulations to our three winning videos of the first Ending Childhood Hunger video contest.  Each video skillfully answered in their own unique way the question, "What will you do to end childhood hunger in your community?"  Congratulations to the winning schools.

  • Elementary School Winner - Arbuckle Elementary School - San Jose, CA
  • Middle/Junior High School Winner - American Preparatory Academy - Salt Lake City, UT
  • High School Winner - Leonardtown High School - Leonardtown, MD

Watch the videos here at www.endhunger.usda.gov/video-contest.html

 

Prizes

Winners (6)

Twelve (12) finalists (“Finalists”) will be selected by a panel of judges based on the judging criteria. The public will vote on the Finalists to determine the top two (2) winners in each of three (3) school categories: elementary school, middle school/junior high school, and high school. Each of the winners (or winning teams, collectively “Winners”) will be promoted through various distribution channels including the FNS website, the USDA blog, local and national press releases, Facebook, Twitter, a national webinar, and the FNS Outreach Coalition annual meeting.

For purposes of the Contest categories, whether a school is considered an elementary school, middle school/junior high school, or high school will be determined by the classification of the school by the cognizant State Board of Education.

About the Challenge

Voting opens soon (view all dates)

Get your video cameras ready to help end hunger!  The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) wants you to participate in the Ending Childhood Hunger Video Contest.  We invite elementary, middle/junior high, and high school students to participate in the video contest (the "Contest"), which asks the question, "What are you doing to end childhood hunger in your community?"

USDA FNS is accepting student-created videos of two minutes or less that show current activities or innovative ideas that tackle the problem of childhood hunger.  Your videos will serve to inspire other students across the country to take action on this important issue.    

Judging Criteria

The judges will select the twelve (12) finalists that will go to the Public Vote based on the following criteria:
Potential to Impact Target Audience

Potential to impact the target audience:
1) Video Submissions should be educational, inspiring, and memorable. 2) Video Submissions should be useable by Sponsor in its outreach activities. 3) Video Submissions should be easy for Sponsor to use in both

Creativity and Originality

Creativity and Originality: 1) Video Submissions should use creative and original methods and approaches to convey the message. 2) Video Submissions should demonstrate creative ways that students are tackling the problem of childhood hunger or an innovati

Clarity and Quality of Message

Clarity and Quality of Message: 1) Video Submissions should clearly demonstrate activities that students are taking part in or ideas they have to help end childhood hunger in their school or community. 2) The flow of Video Submissions should be logical an

Production Quality

Production Quality: 1) Audio quality – dialogue should be easy to understand. 2) Visual quality – visual effects should contribute rather than detract from the underlying message. 3) Editing should be smooth and coherent.

*Tie-Breaking Decision

In the event of a tie for selection of the twelve (12) Finalists, the Finalists will be selected based on the judging criteria in this order: potential to impact the target audience, then creativity and originality, then clarity and quality of message, an

How to Enter

The video should demonstrate how students are making an impact or why they think their idea would be successful. Videos can incorporate graphics, original music, written words and/or original footage of people as long as all people represented in the video have signed release forms: www.fns.usda.gov/outreach/videocontest. For some ideas stakeholders have expressed to USDA FNS on ways to reduce childhood hunger please visit: http://www.endhunger.usda.gov.

All submitted videos (“Submissions” or Videos Submissions”) must meet the following requirements:

Food and Nutrition Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

ATTN: Ending Childhood Hunger Video Contest

3101 Park Center Drive, Suite 1441

Alexandria, VA 22302

Consent Forms for each student or team member must be received by the close of the Contest Submission Period in order for a Video Submission to be eligible for Contest consideration.

  • Submissions must be made no later than December 15, 2011 at 11:59 PM EDT at http://endhunger.challenge.gov/submissions/new.  Submission time is the time of the submission of the You Tube link on the Contest website, not the time of the uploading of the Video Submission to You Tube.  Video Submissions that are only uploaded to You Tube without a link being placed on the Contest website will not create a valid entry into the Contest, and such Video Submissions will not be eligible for Contest consideration.
  • Video Submissions must be two minutes or less.
  • If any audio or text in the Video Submission is in a language other than English, the Submission must be accompanied by an English translation of the audio or text in the form of captioning and/or audio dubbing.
  • Submissions must be made available free of charge to the Sponsor throughout the Contest. Finalist and Winner Submissions must continue to be made available to the Sponsor free of charge through December 31, 2015.
  • Once a Submission is submitted, the submitting student/team (“Contestant(s)”) cannot make any changes or alterations to the Submission until the Contest is complete. The approximate date the Contest will be complete is February 24, 2012.
  • Video Submissions must focus on what students are doing or could do to help end childhood hunger in their school or community. Video Submissions should show creative ways students are tackling the problem of childhood hunger or an innovative idea they have that would contribute to the goal of ending childhood hunger in America.

Some examples of ideas or activities that could be shown in the video include, but are not limited to:

  • Teaching children about food and nutrition.
  • Encouraging schools to take part in the HealthierUS School Challenge.
  • Promoting School Breakfast to increase participation.
  • Helping connect students with food outside of school hours (during breaks, at night, or on the weekend).
  • Informing parents about ways they can access nutrition assistance programs.
  • Working with local food banks or other anti-hunger organizations.  Organizing educational events or food drives in your community.
  • Engaging local officials, organizations, schools, or businesses to help reduce childhood hunger.

Contestants must upload Video Submissions to YouTube and then submit the link on the Ending Childhood Hunger Video Contest website at http://endhunger.challenge.gov/submissions/new. The title of the Video Submission should include the name of the student/team’s school, school type, and the city, and state of the school in the following format:

School Name_School Type_City _State.

For example, a Video Submission created by a student or team of students from George Middle School in Anytown City, Any State would be titled:  “George Middle School_Middle School_Anytown City_Any State.”

Helpful links

Submissions by teams should be submitted only once by one member of the team.

The Contest is open only to students from first grade through twelfth grade who are United States citizens or legal residents (inclusive of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa).  Students may enter the contest as individuals or as teams.  If entering as a team, all student members of the team must be from the same school.  Children, adopted children, and step-children of employees of the USDA are not eligible. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal laws and regulations. Participation in the Contest constitutes the entering student’s/team’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.