RRWA's 2023 Water Awareness High School Video Contest

Share your story. Voice your ideas.  Help educate the public by creating a video about drought. 

A PSA, or public service announcement, is a publication that helps change attitudes and behaviors by raising awareness about a community issue. You can create a newscast, animation, commercial, reality television show, or even music video. Let your imagination go wild, but please read the following instructions carefully!

2023 High School Video Contest prompt: How has drought impacted you or your community? How can we be more resilient to drought? 

Submission deadline: 8:00 PM on Monday, April 17th, 2023

Winning videos will be premiered and celebrated at our Student Showcase. 

At this event, we will also celebrate grant recipients from our A Call to Action program.

When: Thursday, May 11th 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Where: Advanced Energy Center, 741 4th Street, Santa Rosa CA 95404

Contest Information

Who May Enter?

Students in grades 9 - 12 attending high school in Sonoma, Mendocino, or northern Marin counties. Homeschool students are welcome to participate.

Entries can be an individual or team effort.

   Creators and co-creators

  • Creators and co-creators are eligible to win prize money. A student can submit one entry as a creator OR one entry as a co-creator, but not both. 
  • Maximum of 5 co-creators per video entry.

   Contributors

  • Contributors are not eligible to win prize money. An example of a contributor would be an actor who had a small role in the video.
  • A contributor does not need to be a high school student.
  • No maximum number of contributors.
  • Contributors are welcome to contribute to multiple videos.
  • You can be a creator on one video entry and a contributor on multiple video entries. 

What prizes are offered?

Cash awards will be split with 50% of the prize money going to the individual(s) who submitted the video and 50% to the high school they attend.

  • 1st Place - $1,500
  • 2nd Place - $1,000
  • 3rd Place - $500

All three winning videos will be featured on local channel 22 Northern California Public Media. (Wow, that would look great on your résumé!)

What are the video guidelines?

Your production needs to be exactly 55 seconds in length (this includes the required closing scene – see more info below).

All entries must be student-created. The entry may not contain any copyrighted material of any medium (music, images, etc.) and no professional assistance is allowed. Such use will result in an automatic disqualification.

DO NOT delete your original project file until the winners of the contest have been announced. If you place, you may be asked to make modifications to your entry.

How should I end my video?

Closing scene: This contest is sponsored by the Russian River Watershed Association. The last scene must feature:

Does my video have to be in English?

RRWA welcomes videos in all languages, but please include English subtitles. 

Submission Deadline: 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 17th, 2023

How do I submit my video?

Clearly label your video file with the last names of those submitting the video to help us quickly and easily identify your video.

Please export your entry as a single file in the highest quality. Preferred formats include: .mp4, .mpg, .wmv, or .avi.

Entries can be submitted through the following methods:

All entries must be submitted or postmarked by 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 17th, 2023. USB drives can be mailed to:

ATTN Sarah Wickersham
Sonoma Water
404 Aviation Boulevard
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

If you need to reach Sonoma Water's front desk, please call 707-526-5370.

Please DO NOT delete your original project file until the winners of the contest have been announced. If you place, you may be asked to make modifications to your entry.

What about the Entry Release Form?

A completed Entry Release Form must be submitted for every contributor involved in the production of the video. This means, if you ask your younger siblings to be an actor in your production, they must also submit a release form. On the release form, please select all roles that apply. Only creators and co-creators will receive prize money. 

You must provide the source of your royalty-free images and music for any unoriginal content.

You may submit your form online or by mail.

1.) To submit ONLINE:

  1. Open the fillable PDF.
  2. Type in your information.
  3. Print the document.
  4. Collect signatures on the appropriate lines.
  5. Scan the form as a PDF. Only PDFs will be accepted.
  6. If you have more than one release form per video, please upload them all together.
  7. Upload your Entry Release Form

2.) To submit by MAIL:

  1. Open the fillable PDF.
  2. Type in your information.
  3. Print the document.
  4. Collect signatures on the appropriate lines.
  5. If there is more than one release form per video, please staple or clip them together.
  6. All of your release forms must be postmarked by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 17th, 2023, to:

     ATTN Sarah Wickersham
     Sonoma Water
     404 Aviation Boulevard
     Santa Rosa, CA 95403


Use this checklist to ensure you’ve included all the important criteria in your video:

Print this Student Checklist.

  • Does your video share a perspective on how drought has impacted you or your impacted? AND/OR Does your video share ideas for making our communities more resilient to drought? 
  • Did you include why this topic is of importance to the public?
  • Did you research the topic to make sure your facts are accurate and pertinent to our local watershed? 
  • Is your video entertaining, creative, and original?
  • Is the audio and technical construction clear and of high quality? (No blurry or pixelated images please!)
  • Make sure your closing scene features: The RRWA logo (please do not modify the logo from its original form) and the text: For more information about your water, please visit: rrwatershed.org
  • Did each person involved in the production of the video fill out an Entry Release Form?
  • Did you clearly label your video file with the last names of those submitting the video?
  • Did you follow ALL of the requirements listed above?
  • Please do NOT delete your original project file until the winners of the contest have been announced.


How do I evaluate my sources?

Here are some questions to consider as you evaluate your sources of information:

  • Who created this website/video/article and what are their qualifications?
  • What other content is included? Does the author list the source of their information?
  • What is the purpose of the website? Are they selling a product or service? Can you detect any bias?
  • How current is the information?
  • How pertinent is it to where we live?

Check out these links to help you evaluate the authenticity of a website:


Resources for further information:

Use the following resources to get you started on your research:

PSA and Video Creation:
Drought resiliency:

Inspiration:

*Your video should be local to Sonoma, Mendocino, or northern Marin counties

For more information

If you have questions about this video contest, please contact Sarah Wickersham at Sarah.Wickersham@scwa.ca.gov 


About the Russian River Watershed AssociationRRWA logo

The Russian River Watershed Association is a coalition of ten cities, counties, and special districts in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, fisheries restoration, and watershed enhancement. The Russian River Watershed Association includes the cities of Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Ukiah; the Town of Windsor; the County of Mendocino; the County of Sonoma; and Sonoma Water.