Rules and tips on entering our contests and voting
Contest Rules
Enter to win
When you have completed your challenge or invention, you can enter our contest by uploading a video of your project. Please note: only a parent or legal guardian may enter the contest on behalf of their minor child. See our detailed contest rules and privacy policy for important information.
Staying safe and protecting your privacy
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Use your first name only - no last names!
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It's fine to mention what state you live in, but don't tell us which town.
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Don't show location-specific information in your video: for example, don't stand in front of a street sign or mailbox showing your house number.
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Don't Geotag your photos or videos.
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You don't have to appear in your video if you don't want to! It's ok to wear a funny disguise or to just show your project. Do whatever you are comfortable with.
Non-safety related video tips
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Try to keep your video under 1-minute. If it's too long people may lose interest and stop watching
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Make sure there is not too much background noise and that there is enough light to see your project.
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Make an outline and practice what you will say a few times before you shoot the actual video
Uploading your video
NEW THIS YEAR! You DO NOT need to upload your videos to YouTube or Vimeo. We'll do it for you! Simply upload your original video file to our server through our weekly entry form. We will put it onto our YouTube channel from there. Easy peasy.
Voting
Voting will be open for the Weekly Challenges on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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When voting opens you will be able to see the gallery of approved* videos submitted by all of our engineers and inventors.
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If you see a video you like, give it a "thumbs up". That equals one vote.
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You may vote for as many videos as you wish, but you can only cast one vote per video per day.
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If there is a video that you think is truly amazing, share it with your friends and ask them to vote for it too. And be sure to come back the next day and vote for it again!
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At the close of voting, the video with the most votes will win our audience choice award.
*All submitted videos will be reviewed prior to publishing online to ensure that the content is appropriate for all ages.