The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library is sponsoring a student video contest to address health-related topics.
The Healthi4U competition will run through Nov. 2, said Jean Shipman, director of the library. Cash prizes will be awarded to those with the best submissions. Shipman created the contest from an idea she and Vivian Lee, senior vice president of University Health Sciences, had.
“[We thought] it would be great if we had more videos that helped explain how to handle matters that relate to your health,” Shipman said.
She hopes the Healthi4U video competition will be held annually after this inaugural year. For its debut, a panel of videographers and health promotion faculty and staff will be choosing the top three videos, awarding $3,000 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third on Nov. 19. A people’s choice award of $500 will go to an additional video chosen by the public through social media. The competition was funded by the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation.
After seeing fliers on campus, the money incentive caught the eye of some students, such as Geoffrey Sutyak, a sophomore in film and media arts. But he wasn’t impressed, and worries the range of topics for the videos are too constricted.
“I didn’t think it was too interesting because I didn’t think of all the possibilities I could do,” he said.
But Shipman said any health theme applies. Videos could address consumer health, preventative health measures, exercise or a specific disease. The ultimate goal is to create health messages that students and patients can relate to and learn from, she said.
Videos should be three to five minutes and must come from a team of at least three students (which must be formed and filed by Oct. 19 to be eligible). While the contest encourages collaboration between disciplines, participants must be full-time students to be eligible for the scholarship awards.
As another incentive, Shipman is working with professors to give extra credit to those who participate or make an assignment out of the contest.
Kevin Hanson, a professor in the College of Fine Arts, said the competition could be a good thing for students. But he also said that many times these pitches do not consider how little time students have or how difficult making a good video can be.
“We are inundated with these little proposals and we try to filter them a bit and put them on a bulletin for people,” he said. “It becomes daunting for students.”
Students who win, however, will have a chance for their video to be broadcast on UEN Channel 9.
@carolyn_webber