YouTube to hold contest for best one-minute video

The video-sharing Web site YouTube has been everywhere lately, from presidential debates, to Saturday Night Live and even the cover of TIME magazine. Its next stop will be IU.\nThe Office of Creative Services announced last week that it will be sponsoring a video contest, through the popular video Web site, in conjunction with its inaugural “Celebrate IU Week.” \nThe contest is simple: Create a one-minute video essay about why students love IU, said Dave Harper, interactive art director for the Office of Creative Services.\n“It’s pretty wide open,” Harper said of the content of the videos, adding that students just need to show “what they are passionate about – why they are going to this school.”\nThe Union Board is also sponsoring the contest, which will be judged by representatives from the two departments that will select a winner and runner-up.\nPrizes will include Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello tickets and a tailgating catering package for 10, according to a press release.\nStudents from any of IU’s eight campuses are eligible for the contest, which ends Oct. 12.\nSubmissions must be made through the University’s YouTube group “Celebrate IU.”\nHarper said the contest is an attempt to use the Internet to get students aware and involved with the first annual “Celebrate IU Week,” a festival that starts Oct. 13.\n“We thought we would try to capitalize on that momentum and get more buzz,” Harper said. \nThe Office of Creative Services recently used YouTube to promote another of its programs – five videos centered on the theme of “Hello, my name is Indiana University,” which showcased different aspects of the University through specific students.\nHarper said universities are taking advantage of the Internet to reach viewers because it is becoming the easiest way to get the attention of young people.\n“We’re trying to go where users and the audiences are going,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to reach as many people as we can.”