American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution
Mediation Video Contest

The American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution invites you to participate in our second annual Mediation Video Contest on YouTube®.  We seek creative, thoughtful, original three-minute videos that demonstrate the process and benefits of mediation. This year, we are including the theme of “Civility and Civil Public Discourse” to the competition with the goal of the furthering the public understanding of mediation and to promote the use of civility and civil discourse as a way to resolve disputes.  The video need not address only legal disputes.

Eligibility

The Contest is open to everyone.  Full-time students may enter the competition under the student’s category.  Employees of the American Bar Association and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate. For purposes of this contest, “immediate family members” means parents, spouses, children, siblings, in-laws, grandmothers, or grandfathers.

 
Prizes

First Place - $1000 prize        
Second Place- $500 prize

Students (K-12, Undergraduate, Graduate):

First Place - $500
Second Place- $250

The winners will be contacted by e-mail Early April 2012.  The winners will also be announced Early 2012 on the ABA Dispute Resolution website at: http://www.abanet.org/dispute.

The First Place winning videos from both categories will be featured at the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference in April 2012, with approximately 1,000 attendees.  The videos of the winners as well as any Honorable Mentions will be linked from the Section website.  The Section may also post links to the video submissions that help promote and further the public understanding of mediation.

Judging Criteria

Submissions will be judged by a committee of ABA Section of Dispute Resolution members and staff.  The ABA shall have sole authority and discretion to select winning videos.  The judges will evaluate entries using the following criteria:

• Effectiveness in achieving the overall purpose and goal of the video
• Effectiveness in presentation of the Civility and Civil Public Discourse theme
• Overall quality of presentation
• Overall appeal to diverse audience
• Overall production quality (including lighting, focus, sound, graphics
• Originality, Creativity and Adherence to Contest Rules

Contest Rules

1. Contestants must submit a Contest Entry Form for each video submission.
2. Video submissions may be made by individuals or teams.
3. Contestants (team or individual) may only submit one entry and only 1 prize will be awarded per entry.
4. Videos must be in the English language.
5. All elements of the video shall be entirely original, created and/or performed by the contestant(s), or be in the public domain, including, but not limited to all music, audio, speech, voiceovers, stills, video supers and/or any other audiovisual elements. Contest entrants are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions to use the work of or images of others in their work.
6. The ABA Release Form  must be completed and submitted for each person over age 18 whose name, image, likeness or voice is contained in the video. If the person is under 18, the ABA Release Form must be completed and signed by the parent or guardian of the individual.

Submissions

Videos may be submitted between October 1, 2011 and February 1, 2012. 
Incomplete submissions will be disqualified.  To be considered a complete submission of the Contest Entry Form and an ABA Release Form for each person in the video must be received by the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution by midnight February 1, 2012.  Instructions for submitting both forms can be found in the Contest Entry Form.

All videos must be submitted via YouTube® (www.youtube.com).  Submit your video by posting it on YouTube® and entering the YouTube® link into the Contest Entry Form.  The video must be uploaded under the categories, Non-Profit and Education and tagged “ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Mediation Video Contest.”

If you are not an existing user of YouTube®, you will be required to create a free user account at http://www.youtube.com/signup.  Registration on YouTube® must be completed before the video can be submitted or considered for the contest.   When you register your YouTube® account, you will be required to agree to the YouTube® Terms of Use and the YouTube Privacy Policy.

Please keep a copy of your entire submission.  The ABA will not reproduce your submission for purposes of providing a copy to you.

Disclaimers

• The ABA reserves the right not to award any prizes if less than 5 submissions are received.

• The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Mediation Video Contest is not endorsed by, or affiliated with YouTube®.  YouTube® has no responsibility or liability regarding the conduct or administration of the contest.

• Submissions that fail to include the ABA Release Forms, or fail to comply with the Contest Rules, or which contain libelous, inappropriate, unlawful or otherwise prohibited content as determined in the sole discretion of the ABA will be disqualified.

• The ABA will not be responsible for lost, incomplete, misdirected, illegible, late, malfunctioning entries, or for failed computer transmissions or technical failures.

• Each entrant shall indemnify, defend and hold the ABA harmless from any third party claims arising from or related to the entrant’s participation in the Contest.

• All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply, void where prohibited.