The American Veterans Center's 3rd annual Veterans Video History Contest seeks to preserve veteran's stories from across generations through student-created video interviews and video essays. This nationwide video competition is open to students between the ages of 13 and 18. Prizes include a trip to Washington DC.
To be considered, students should conduct an interview lasting thirty minutes or longer with a veteran in their community, then create a 3-5 minute video essay telling that veteran's story. Participating students will also have free access to archival footage and editing resources to enrich their production and help tell the veteran's story more creatively.
Though all veteran stories will be considered, participants are especially encouraged to seek out veterans whose stories may soon be lost if they are not recorded. Specifically, the American Veterans Center encourages interviews with World War II and Korean War veterans.
Jenna, a student from Illinois, shares her experience with the contest: “I got to make a short film that I was really proud of and I felt really made an impact on people. I got to spread my WWII veterans message to people that wouldn’t have heard it otherwise, and I feel like it was an important message to send. I’m really glad I participated. It made me feel really proud to know that I became a part of history and got to preserve the veterans story.”
Completed submissions can be entered by transferring the entry to a disc and mailing it to the America Veterans Center to be judged. The submission period is between June 20th and December 7th, 2016. Students also have the option to send the full unedited version of the interview to be archived in the Library of Congress for future generations of researches and history buffs to access and enjoy. Complete details are available at www.HistoryContest.org.
Here's a look at last year's winning video:
