Film Contest

Texting and Driving Film Contest

Looking for something productive and fun to do during Spring Break?  Get together with some friends and make a movie!  Kurt Snyder, candidate for the Carmel City Court, is asking students to submit short films and PSAs on the subject of texting and driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), 20% of all accidents in 2009 were caused by distracted driving.  More importantly, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes, due to distracted driving.  Submissions can be no longer than 5 minutes in length and are due on Sunday, April 17.  A $300 cash prize will be given to the winning submission. 

Please note that we have changed the deadline to April 17 so that kids on spring break with their families could participate.

Voting is now open. Click Here!

 

Rules 

  1. The film must be about distracted driving.  Texting and driving is an example.  You can learn more about distracted driving at
    1. NHTSA/DOT Distracted Driving: http://www.distraction.gov/
    2. Governor’s Highway Safety Association: http://www.ghsa.org/html/issues/dist.html
    3. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/cell_phones.html
    4. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: http://www.aaafoundation.org/home/
  2. There is no cost to enter.
  3. The film must be produced between March 1 and April 17.
  4. The film can encompass any genre (i.e. drama, comedy, documentary, animation, experimental, etc.)
  5. The duration must be between 30 seconds and five minutes from start to finish, including credits.
  6. You can enter as many films as you want, but only one film per team is eligible to be a finalist.
  7. There is no age limit for contestants.  High school, middle school, and college students are all encouraged to participate.
  8. You can shoot on any medium (all video and film formats). You can use tools such as http://www.xtranormal.com. You just need to be able to get it on YouTube. 
  9. Entries must be received by 6 p.m., Sunday, April 10, 2011.  You must complete the entry form by this time to be considered eligible.
  10. The film must be “original” and in compliance with all copyright/trademark laws. Mash-ups are permissible as long as they comply with all laws.
  11. The film must be posted on YouTube.  As a result, the film also needs to comply with all YouTube rules and regulations.
  12. The film should be done in good taste at the sole discretion of the judges. Any films deemed not to be done in good taste will not be considered.
  13. The film needs to have something in it to show its relationship to Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, or Noblesville.  An easy way of doing this would be to include some iconic structure in the film such as the Monon Trail, Monon Center, Palladium, statutes in the Arts and Design District, Carmel City Hall, Carmel Gazebo, or roundabouts. Alternatively, including footage of any of the local high schools such as Carmel, Guerin, University, Brebeuf, North Central, Midwest Academy, Park Tudor, International, Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville, or Hamilton Southeastern is permissible.
  14. These rules are subject to change.

 

How to submit an entry?

  1. Create your film.   
  2. Post it on YouTube.   
  3. Complete the short entry form prior to the deadline, which will ask for the URL of your YouTube video.

 

How will the winner be selected?

Shortly after the submission period ends on April 17, all of the eligible entries will be posted on this website for people to view.  There will be a Facebook “Like” button associated with each entry on the website.  Voting will be open until May 4, 2011.  The winner will be selected from a panel of judges from the top 3 vote-getters from people selecting the “Like” button for a particular film on this website.  A $300 prize will be awarded to one entry by May 10, 2011.  We will also be giving out several textbandz to several teams.

Voting is now open. Click Here!

 

Who are the judge?

Thus far we have the following judges:

 

What is the purpose of this contest?

This contest has three primary purposes. First, it is designed to increase public awareness on distracted driving. As stated earlier, a large number of traffic accidents are caused by distracted driving.  Moreover, the proportion of accidents caused by distracted driving is greatest among young drivers. For this reason, this contest is being geared to the local high schools.  Second, the contest is to bring awareness to Kurt Snyder’s candidacy for the Carmel City Court judge position. While working for the Indiana Supreme Court, Mr. Snyder worked extensively with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In fact, he secured hundreds of thousands of dollars from NHTSA for the benefit of Hoosiers throughout the state.  Since the Carmel City Court is primarily a traffic court public safety is very important to Mr. Snyder.  Third, the contest is intended to demonstrate to voters the type of public outreach activity that, if elected, Mr. Snyder will bring to Hamilton County.  Mr. Snyder pledges to make public outreach film contests an annual tradition when elected.  “Anything we can do to keep our streets and children safe is helpful,” said Snyder.  “Teens that participate in this contest by either creating a film or viewing a film may think twice the next time they are driving and have an urge to send a text message,” said Snyder.

 

Questions

Please email Kurt Snyder at kurt@kurtsnyder.com if you have any questions.