Harmful Algal Bloom Video Challenge

See a Bloom, Give It Room

Harmful Algal Bloom Video Challenge

In 2019, EPA Regions 7 and 8 hosted a Harmful Algal Bloom Video Challenge for high school students. Entrants were asked to create videos that help people understand how to spot harmful algal blooms and how to be safe around them. Students were encouraged to be creative, have fun and be a part of an environmental solution. A grand prize winner from each region, along with winners from each state and each region’s combined group of tribal nations, was selected. These winning videos were highlighted during EPA’s Harmful Algal Bloom conference in February and will be used by EPA and state environmental agencies in public outreach initiatives.

The contest was open to the following EPA Region 7 and 8 areas:

Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, or one of nine tribal nations (listed here).
Region 8: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado or one of 27 tribal nations (listed here).

On this page:

Winners
Challenge
Rules
Terms and Conditions
How to Enter
Prizes
Judging
HABs Information
Contact Information
Helpful Resources

Find details on Challenge.gov.

Winners

Grand Prize Winners
West High School students Shreya Khullar and Caroline Mascardo in Iowa City, Iowa, won the Region 7 grand prize by showing us the dangers of harmful algal blooms through a stop motion animation film.
Capital High School students Mikelle Ballard Mariah Bogy, Kadyn Culp, Geri Cutler, Katlyn Fladland, Karina Frederick, Meghan Logan, Fallon Turner, and Adyson Vanluchene in Helena, Montana, won the Region 8 grand prize by showing us how dangerous harmful algal blooms can be to our pets and environment through a short film featuring the winning students.

Additional Awards

Award	School	Students
Tribal First Place	Kickapoo Nation School	Zaid Francisco Vincente Dominguez Trajan Wahwahsuck
Nebraska First Place	Quest Forward Academy	Kinley Jackson
Kansas First Prize	Olathe High School	Jenna Barnes Lillian Campbell
Tribal Runner-up	Kickapoo Nation School	Natasha Lewis Catlin Gouge
Iowa Runner-up	Cedar Falls High School	Olivia Combs Colby Demyster Allison Jermier Trevor Fisher Zachary McGuire Talea Burt
Colorado First Place	Montrose Peak Virtual Academy	Ivan Green Josephine Eccher Reanna Troncose Kelly Mathieu
North Dakota Honorable Mention	Grand Forks Red River High School	Melissa Ridley Mark Mayor Tina Preplow

Challenge

The Challenge is now closed and the following information is shared for reference purposes only.

High school students will create a video (no more than two minutes in length) that teaches people how to spot harmful algal blooms and how to be safe around them.

Background:

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an overgrowth of algae in a water body that can affect water quality and aquatic life. Some HABs can produce toxins that may also harm people, animals, and the local environment. We want your help to promote public awareness of harmful algal blooms to people who use the waters, such as swimmers, boaters, fishers, or people who bring pets or livestock to the waters.

Eligibility:

Entrants must be students in grades 9-12.

Participants must reside in one of the following states or tribal lands in EPA Regions 7 and 8: Region 7 serves Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations; Region 8 serves Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and 27 tribal nations. Entrants may be an individual or a team.

Prizes:

EPA will select a grand prize winner (individual or team) from each region who will each receive $4000 to be divided evenly among student participants. A winner (individual or team) from each state and a winner from each region’s combined group of tribal nations will also be selected for a $2000 cash prize each, to be divided evenly among the student participants.

Winning Entries:

In addition to cash prizes, winning videos will be posted on the EPA webpage and announced on Feb. 5, 2020, during the EPA Harmful Algal Blooms Workshop in Kansas.

Judging Criteria:

Videos will be judged on scientific accuracy, creativity and quality.

Open Period:

The Challenge began Sept. 19, 2019. All video entries must be submitted in digital format by 11 p.m. EST on Jan. 3, 2020.

Submission Start:

9/19/2019, 11 a.m. EDT

Submission End:

1/3/2020, 11 p.m. EST

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Rules

The Challenge is now closed and the following information is shared for reference purposes only.

Video Content:

Videos must focus on informing the public about harmful algal blooms in water bodies (e.g., freshwater lakes and streams) and how to be safe around them. In the 0-2 minute video, Challenge-solvers must highlight at least one or more groups that use the waters such as swimmers, boaters, fishers, or people who bring pets or livestock to the waters.
Videos should raise awareness about available local, state, tribal, or federal government resources for this issue. Applicants should strive to be creative, innovative and educational in their video content. Videos may include explanations or instructions.
Student names or school affiliation cannot appear in the video.

Video Specifications:

To be eligible to participate, videos must meet the following specifications:

Be 2 minutes or less in length
Source video file must be one of the following formats: MPEG4, 3GPP, MOV, AVI or WMV
Aspect ratio of 16:9
At either 24 or 30 (29.9) frames per second
Frame size of 1920x1080

Selected winners will need to provide a video file to EPA.

Required Paperwork:

Each video entry must be accompanied with the following paperwork:

A written transcript of the video for closed-captioning purposes
Video Challenge Entry Form
License Agreement
Consent Form (for each individual appearing on the video)

Required forms can be accessed in the Helpful Resources section below (see Documents).

Submission Limit:

Each individual or team is limited to entering one video in the Challenge. Multiple submissions from the same source will be disqualified. Only the first 50 videos from each state and from each region’s tribal group that fulfill the requirements herein and are submitted by the deadline will be accepted for the competition.

Advisory for Challenge Participants:

As described further in materials linked to under Helpful Resources, harmful algal blooms pose a health risk to humans and animals. Stay a safe distance from the water when you suspect a harmful algal bloom is present. Do not touch or drink water with a bloom.

Helpful Resources:

To assist participants, EPA has assembled stock photos and video as well as other Helpful Resources in the section below.

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Terms and Conditions

The Challenge is now closed and the following information is shared for reference purposes only.

Eligibility:

Entrants must be students in grades 9-12.
Participants must reside in one of the following states or tribal lands in EPA Regions 7 and 8: Region 7 serves Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations; Region 8 serves Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and 27 tribal nations. Entrants may be an individual or a team.
Children of EPA employees and children of affiliated state or tribal judging panel members may not apply.

Intellectual Property:

Winning videos will be posted on the EPA webpage and announced on Feb. 5, 2020, during the EPA Harmful Algal Blooms Workshop in Kansas.
Video content may be used by EPA and the general public for informational, educational, and or public relations purposes. Selected winners will need to provide a video file to EPA.
All video entries must be accompanied with signed License Agreement and Consent Forms found below. Each individual appearing on the video must sign a Consent Form.
Music use must follow EPA guidelines on music licensing. See the Helpful Resources section below.
Challenge participants are responsible for complying with applicable copyright and intellectual property laws for any materials used in their videos. “Fair use” rules may allow the use of copyrighted material in certain circumstances. As an example, see the fair use guidelines on YouTube. Participants should seek legal guidance if they have questions about using copyrighted materials.

Non-Endorsement:

EPA and EPA officials do not endorse any product, service or enterprise that may appear in submitted videos. Furthermore, by recognizing winning videos, EPA is not endorsing products, services or enterprises that may appear in those videos.

Funding Restrictions:

Challenge-solvers cannot use funding from the federal government (either through grants or contracts) to compete in the Challenge.
All prize awards are subject to EPA verification of the winners’ identity, eligibility and participation in the Challenge. Awards will be paid using electronic funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. EPA will comply with the International Revenue Service (IRS) withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.
A panel of state, tribal and EPA subject matter experts will judge video submissions. EPA will make final determinations and award all prize winners.

Plagiarism:

EPA has a no-tolerance policy for plagiarism. Any applicant whose winning work is determined to be plagiarized in whole or in part will forfeit any awards.

Assistance:

Teachers and administrators at schools, or parents who homeschool, can incorporate this challenge as part of their curriculum or incorporate it into an extramural activity. Teachers, administrators or parents can guide students.
Outside professional assistance is prohibited.
Resources provided by EPA in the Helpful Resources section of this webpage may be used.
Students are responsible for all elements of the video including the research, writing, filming, graphics and editing.

Waiver:

By entering this Challenge, participant agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities (except in the case of willful misconduct), for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their participation in the Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.

Disclaimer:

EPA reserves the right to disqualify and or clarify any submittal.

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How to Enter

The Challenge is now closed and the following information is shared for reference purposes only.

Entrants must post their video submission to YouTube as an unlisted video and send the link to their video entry, along with the required paperwork to R7PublicAffairs@epa.gov by the deadline.

Submission URL:

Post video submission to YouTube as an unlisted video.

Submission Email:

Send video link and required paperwork by email to R7PublicAffairs@epa.gov.
Send emails with Subject: HAB Challenge Video Entry.
Note: To ensure your submission is not blocked by EPA servers, please keep emails under 9 megabytes.

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Prizes

The Challenge is now closed and the following information is shared for reference purposes only.

Total Cash Prize Pool:

$32,000

Prize Breakdown:

12 First Prize Awards of $2,000 to be split evenly among the participants. First Prize Awards will be given for each state and regional tribal winner.
Two Grand Prize Awards of $4,000 to be split evenly among the participants. Grand Prize Awards will be given to the best video from each EPA Region.
12 Honorable Mention Certificates

Non-Monetary Prizes:

12 Honorable Mention Certificates

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Judging

The Challenge is now closed and the following information is shared for reference purposes only.

Judging Panel:

Judges will be a panel of state, tribal and EPA subject matter experts. They will evaluate, score and rank submissions based on scientific accuracy, creativity and quality. EPA will make final determinations and award all prize winners.

Judging Criteria:

The judging panel will use a 100-point scale to evaluate the videos. The scale will rank the extent to which the video:

Has a clear message and theme that is easily understood (20 points)
Is supported by scientific references on harmful algal blooms (20 points)
Increases awareness of harmful algal bloom issues (15 points)
Is educational, imparts knowledge, or deepens understanding of the issue by recreational users (15 points)
Is in focus with balanced color and light and has logical transitions that move the narrative forward (10 points)
Has discernable audio that is easily understood (10 points)
Relates to a water body in your state/tribal lands (10 points)

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HABs Information

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an overgrowth of algae in a water body that can affect water quality and aquatic life. Some HABs can produce toxins that may also harm people, animals and the local environment. Outreach initiatives like this help promote public awareness of harmful algal blooms for people who recreate in the waters, such as swimmers, boaters, fishers or people who bring pets or livestock to the waters. To learn more about harmful algal blooms, visit www.epa.gov/cyanoHABs.