[Reader-list] The 'India Is' Video & Photography Challenge 2012 ( Phase 1:Submit your entries by Feb 9th 2013)

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

THE COMPETITION 
The Ministry of External Affairs’ Public Diplomacy Division (MEA) has launched a global initiative inviting 
people from all walks of life such as filmmakers, photographers, activists, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, and 
students etc. to participate in the ‘INDIA IS’ Video Challenge. 


Participants are encouraged to create a video short (maximum 3 minutes) to share with a global audience just 
exactly what their perception of “India Is”. The Video Challenge will highlight and showcase India’s immense 
soft power. More so, all of the content that shall be promoted by this platform will be generated by the Indian 
Public, visitors of India and Indian aficionados the world over. 
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The Official Rules for the Video Challenge are binding and need to be adhered to be eligible for 
the grand prizes:
1. The video submission must have relevance to one of the following themes:
a. India Is Colourful
b. India Is Creative 
c. India Is Wherever You Are
2. The entire duration of the video submission should be UNDER 3 minutes and should have a title.
3. Participants must be 18 years and above on the start date of the competition 
4. Participants can submit only 1 video entry per category (Colourful, Creative and Wherever You Are). 
5. The video entries can be in any style. It can be fiction, animation, documentary, live action, stop 
motion etc. However, we encourage participants to stay away from creating photomontages.
6. Contestants must ensure that all approvals and permissions for use of materials within the film 
(music, etc.) have been obtained before submission.
7. Each video submission must be respectful towards India.
8. The videos can be created in ANY Language. However, they must have English subtitles for 
standardization.  
9. Participants should not support or plug any product, brand, group or organization that they are or 
have been involved with.
10. All the footage and content used in the videos must be after the year 2000. The content should NOT 
be older than 11 years.
VIDEO SUBMISSION PROCESS
1 - Read the Terms and Conditions carefully.
2 - Choose Your Theme & Create Your Winning Video.
3 - Click submit, follow the instructions. (Make sure your video has been uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo)
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
• Please upload videos to YouTube or Vimeo - We require a link.
• Once a video is uploaded to the website (www.indiais.org), it is considered a final submission and may not be modified 
or edited, or replaced. Contestants may submit no more than 1 video per person per theme. 
• Participation in this contest is automatically deemed as acceptance and adherence to the official contest rules and terms 
and conditions.


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THE JUDGING CRITERIA 
The judging round will evaluate each submission using the following criteria:
• 50%: Relevancy to “INDIA IS”
Video clearly demonstrates, abstractly or concretely, an illustration of what ‘India Is’ to them. The approach, 
clarity of concept and point of view is critical to a strong and imaginative video.
• 20%: Technical Elements
Videos will be judged for qualities of image quality, focus, sharpness, composition, sound, style, arrangement, 
perspective, etc.
• 30%: Creativity
Level of artistic creativity; originality of idea. Make your video stand out from the rest.
HOW ARE THE WINNERS SELECTED?
Submit Video > Accepted as Eligible entry + showcased on website > Jury shortlists Finalists > Public Vote(s) 
to select the winning videos > Winners Announced
1) SUBMIT VIDEO: You must first submit your video on the website after agreeing to the General Terms 
and Conditions. 
2) Once the jury has screened your short film it will be ACCEPTED OR REJECTED depending on whether it 
adheres to all the rules of the competition. This is why we strongly recommend you go through the Rules 
section very closely. The videos that are accepted will be showcased in the entries section of the website. 
Videos once rejected may not be replaced with another video.
3) Our group of panelists and jurors will SHORTLIST 20-30 FINALISTS based on the Judging Criteria. All 
participants should be aware of these criteria.
Finalists will be announced online on the competition website.
4) The finalist videos will be up on the Entries>Finalists 2012 section of the website. They will face the 
challenge of winning the support of the public through VOTES to make their short film prize worthy. You can 
urge your friends and peers to support your short film by casting their votes! 
Some awards are not dependent on Public Votes. 
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PRIZES
• 1 Grand prize winner = US$ 4,000
This will be the video with simply the most number of votes irrespective of it’s category
• 1 Best Entry per category (3 in total) = US$ 2,500
These videos will be the ones with the highest number of votes in each category (excluding the Grand prize winner)
• 1 Jury’s Choice Award = US$ 2,000
The Jury member’s select 1 video that they feel encapsulated the concept and meaning of the India Is Video Challenge
• 1 Special Mention Award = US$ 2,000
This prize will be awarded by the Organizer’s of the Video Challenge and will be left up to their discretion.
• Weekly Challenges With Exciting Prizes
We have some fun weekly contests happening on the India Is Facebook page. Simply participate and stand a chance to win 
really cool camcorders, digital cameras and lomography cameras! What else? You can also win exclusive India Is and Indian 
Diplomacy goodie bags!


Please note that these are not the detailed Rules. Please refer to the India Is website for more details. (www.indiais.org)


For more Log on to http://www.youtube.com/user/realindiais/Video+Challenge