America 250 Youth Video Competition
Tell Your Story. Share Your Community. 
Vincennes PBS invites area high school students to participate in the America 250 Youth Video Competition. Create a 3–5 minute mini-documentary about a historical event, person, or place in your community for a chance to win big and have your work showcased on the big screen.
Grand Prize: DJI Osmo Pocket 3
Submission Deadline: June 7th at 11:59 PM
Screening & Winner Announcement: June 26th
About the Competition
The America 250 Youth Video Competition challenges students to explore and tell meaningful stories from their own communities. Whether it’s a local landmark, an inspiring individual, or an overlooked moment in history—this is your chance to bring it to life through film.
No professional equipment or experience required—just your creativity and curiosity.
Who Can Enter
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High school students in the Vincennes PBS viewing area
Project Requirements
Your submission must meet the following:
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Length: 3–5 minutes
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Style: Documentary
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Topic: A historical event, person, or place in your community
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Format: MP4 or MOV file
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Orientation: Horizontal (landscape)
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Audio/Visual: Clear and understandable
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Original Work Only: No copyrighted music or footage without permission
Prize
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Grand Prize: DJI Osmo Pocket 3 -
Public Screening: Your film will be shown at a special event
Important Dates
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Submission Deadline: June 7th at 11:59 PM
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Screening & Winner Announcement: June 26th
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Location: George Rogers Clark Memorial
401 S 2nd St, Vincennes, IN
Screening Event
Join us for a special public screening of selected entries at the George Rogers Clark Memorial on June 26th. Celebrate local storytelling and see student films on the big screen.
More event details coming soon.
Resource Guide
New to video production? No problem! We’ve included a step-by-step resource guide to help you through the entire process.
Contact
Have questions? We’re here to help.
How to Submit
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Complete the submission form
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Upload your video file (MP4 or MOV)
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Submit before June 7th at 11:59 PM
Submit Here: https://docs.google.com/
Vincennes PBS America 250 Youth Video Competition
This project is all about your voice and your choice. You’ll pick the historic event, person, or place that matters to you and that you think others should know more about. Once you have the information, you will write a script and storyboard, bring it to life in video, submit it, and see it showcased at the George Rogers Clark Memorial.
Requirements
- Final video is 3-5 minutes in length
- Audio is edited for smoothness and clarity and recorded in a quiet place
- Visuals
- Producer’s statement is a paragraph that explains why you chose your issue and what you learned from making your video
- Must be your original work
- Must not include any material copyrighted by someone else ( You can use a courtesy key if using others work) Courtesy Key Example Here.
Project checklist: Use this as a guide and check off each step when you have completed it.
This is not required to submit, just a guideline to help your production process.
Note: For any form that you would like to edit please make a copy. If you request access to edit documents you will not be granted it.
| ☐ | Step 1: Analyze Examples – Watch mini-documentaries made by students throughout the country to get inspiration and start thinking about your own video. |
| ☐ | Step 2: Brainstorm – Choose a topic that matters to you. It can also be a unique topic you don’t think gets enough attention or that something you’ve just learned about.
Brainstorming graphic organizer Check out Vincennes PBS History Vault Series for ideas and inspiration |
| ☐ | Step 3: Create a Draft – Research your topic and write your script. Gather all the information you need to accurately communicate about your topic. Your script should have a hook to engage your audience, provide factual information and show that this topic is relevant to you and your audience’s lives.
Research and script graphic organizer Plan your video with a storyboard. Once you have written your script, you can now sketch out the visuals you would like to accompany the narration. The visuals should be relevant, eye-catching and match the tone/mood of your story. You can decide if you will use live action footage, still images, drawings/cartoons or stop motion animation. |
| ☐ | Step 4: Get feedback, then revise and edit – Once you have written your script and created your storyboard, get feedback on it! Feedback is key when making media for publication. You’ll do a round of feedback on your script or storyboard and a round of feedback once you’ve produced your video. |
| ☐ | Step 5: Make it – Make your video! Use what you have. Whether that’s your phone, a school camera, or a personal camera. Once you’ve filmed now it’s time to edit. You can use whatever you like! Some free options are DaVinci Resolve and CapCut.
Tips for Recording | Video editing tutorials: DaVinci Resolve |
| ☐ | Step 6: Publish and Celebrate – Finalize your title, write producer’s statement and make your thumbnail image. Make your title eye-catching and engaging. Your producer’s statement should explain why you chose your topic and what you learned from this project.Your thumbnail image should illustrate your topic. |