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“7 Conversations in 7 Days” YouTube Video Contest

THE 7 CONVERSATIONS IN 7 DAYS YOUTUBE VIDEO CONTEST, SPONSORED BY FREEDOM TO MARRY

People all around the country are using every tool possible to talk to their friends, family, and community about why marriage equality is important to them. Here’s your chance to make your voice heard!

Grab a camera and make a short video about why marriage matters to you. Upload it to the Freedom to Marry YouTube Group Page. Then share it with all of your friends and encourage them to vote for your video.

1st and 2nd Place winners get $1,000 and $500.

Hurry, the last day to upload is February 6, 2009.

Timing: Contest runs from January 8 – February 12, 2009

• Feb. 6: Deadline to submit (http://www.youtube.com/freedomtomarry)
• Jan. 8 – Feb. 6: Submitting/Voting on Pre-Finalists
• Feb. 8-12: Voting on 10 Semi-Finalists (12th is final day)
• Feb. 13: Award Notification

Voting: Vote online with option to subscribe at Freedom to Marry YouTube Group Page.

Themes: The following themes are suggestions only…

• Discrimination is wrong • Judge not • Love thy neighbor • Welcoming couples into the family • Love and commitment • My love is worth fighting for • Strong commitments – strong families • Protecting individual and religious freedoms

Length: 30-seconds to 5-minutes

Award:

Cash prizes – 1st place winner receives $1,000 and the 2nd place winner receives $500.
Promotion of Semi-Finalist videos to state-wide marriage organizations and other LGBT other organizations.
Meetings with LGBT advocates and media.
Media coverage of winning entries.
1st and 2nd Place entries will be submitted to Logo and other appropriate television networks.

Criteria: Videos will be judged on overall impact, creativity and production value.

Judging: A total of 10 videos will compete in the Semi-Finalist round. A panel of judges will hand-select 5 videos to compete in the Semi-Finalist round. An additional 5 videos will become semi-finalists based upon the number of votes they receive from the YouTube community during Preliminary Voting. All Semi-Finalist videos must meet content and length guidelines.