Competition Judges 500 Percent More Films This Year

The Second Annual Young Minds Digital Times Student Film Competition judging is underway. We had 727 students register for the contest this year. The contest has received a more than 500 percent increase in the number of films submitted and represents students from 62 schools in 23 states.

We also tracked over 10,000 hits to our website from interested people in 42 countries during the time registration began September 28 until today. After our Tier I Public Voting segment and Tier II Judging segment, we are now into our Final and Grand Prize voting round. We have painstakingly narrowed our 262 film entries down to approximately 40 films for the Finals.

These films represent each of our categories:

Freeform Category: The sky is the limit in this category. Students were given an opportunity to create an original film in one or more of the following film styles:

• Animation : Students created original digital, drawn and stop motion films.

• Comedic Creation: Designed to get the biggest laugh, students created original comedy films.

• Documentary: Student created news features, historical narratives and important topics.

• Music Video: Students' original music is showcased and captured on film to tell a story.

• Non-Moving: Original automated PowerPoints and class presentations created by students.

• Short Film: Students' original fictional films.

Doing Good Category: Students were asked to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that responded to, or incorporated, the Students' Education Proclamation. The Education Proclamation's goal is to help students' perspectives become acknowledged, to grab the attention of our public and elected officials, and have them hear what students say about their rights to a 21st century education.

Who will make it to the Grand Prize Round? To view the films yourself, check out our Young Minds Digital Times Film Site!

A big thank you to those of you who participated as judges. And, thanks to our YMDT Director, Jaclyn Bell, for an awesome job this year!

Why Is This Important? In addition to giving kids a creative way to share their voice, the YMDT Film Competition success shows the next round of investors that we can create communities of kids, quickly and inexpensively, who will then become members of the PlumbBrain community once the social network is launched. Already, we've seen huge results with a VC who made this very point and is excited about this progress in a short period of time.