The winners have been announced!

We want to know what your students think about income inequality. That’s why we’re giving away $9,000 in cash prizes in this year’s student video contest!

We hope you and your students will take advantage of this great opportunity.

Our contest is open to students age 14-23 residing in North America or Hawaii. The deadline to submit is 11:59PM Eastern on Thursday, February 20, 2020. Students may submit their videos to us directly, or have them submitted by a teacher or parent. Teachers or parents who submit videos that finish as a Finalist or higher will be awarded their choice of an autographed copy of one of John Stossel’s books or a Stossel in the Classroom coffee mug.

Check out these great prizes for students!

FIRST PLACE (COLLEGE DIVISION): $2,500
FIRST PLACE (HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION): $2,500
SECOND PLACE (COLLEGE DIVISION): $1,000
SECOND PLACE (HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION): $1,000
10 FINALISTS: $200 each

Winners will be announced in April 2020. For complete rules, see below.

Submission Deadline

11:59PM Eastern on Thursday, February 20, 2020

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR VIDEO

Video Topic

Income inequality is a hot button issue in America today. The super rich are blamed for taking so much, leaving the rest of Americans with so little—but is that true? Do millionaires and billionaires hurt the rest of us, or do we all benefit from the wealth they create? Watch John Stossel’s video below and make your own 1-3 minute video examining income inequality. Is it fair? How does it impact people’s lives? Should we do something about it?

Contest Video

ALSO: CHECK OUT OUR STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST!

CONTEST RULES

All videos should specifically address the Video Topic, which is:

Income inequality is a hot button issue in America today. The super rich are blamed for taking so much, leaving the rest of Americans with so little—but is that true? Do millionaires and billionaires hurt the rest of us, or do we all benefit from the wealth they create? Watch John Stossel’s video below and make your own 1-3 minute video examining income inequality. Is it fair? How does it impact people’s lives? Should we do something about it?

Eligibility – The contest is open to students aged 14-23 at some point during the contest period (Nov. 20, 2019-Feb. 20, 2020). No more than one submission will be accepted for each student. Students must be located in North America or Hawaii, and all submissions should be in English. Employees of Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought, and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Previous winners of a Stossel in the Classroom first place prize are not eligible for prizes in our subsequent contests.

Video Length – Videos must be 1-3 minutes in length. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will be disqualified.

Deadline – Videos must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time, February 20, 2020.

Plagiarism – All videos must be the original work of the student whose name is listed on the submission form. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

Taxes – Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes on winnings.

Judges – Videos will be judged on their ability to answer the topic question in an clear, entertaining, and organized manner. Stossel in the Classroom will evaluate video submissions in a fair and unbiased three-round judging system, where judges will all use the same criteria. Judges will be selected by Stossel in the Classroom based on their backgrounds and expertise in education, online videos, and the subject matter. Decisions of the judges are final.

Ownership and Use – The ownership of any submission remains the property of the filmmaker, but entry into the competition constitutes the entrant’s permission and consent, without compensation, with or without attribution, for Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought to use, reproduce, transmit, post, distribute, adapt, edit, and/or display the submission.

TIPS FOR FILMMAKERS

We recommend all students read this list of tips. It might help you avoid common mistakes that could cost you prize money!

Watch the Contest Video. You can find it above.
You can cite our Contest Video, but avoid basing your video entirely on the points made by John Stossel and Carol Roth. Do additional research, make your own arguments, and give us your thoughts.
Feel free to be think outside the box. In our past contests, we’ve awarded prizes to videos in a variety of genres, including serious video essays, animation, comedy sketches, and even an original musical performance. Find what you do best and go for it!
Be mindful of lighting and sound. You don’t need professional-quality video and audio, but make sure we can see you clearly and hear what you’re saying.
Don’t forget the 1-3 minute time requirement. Videos that are too short or too long will be disqualified.
Be original. To win the top prize, your video needs to stand out among thousands.
Check your facts. Factual errors can knock a great video out of contention.
Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your video. It takes time to upload to YouTube, and you don’t want to miss the deadline just because YouTube is taking longer than usual to post your video.

We look forward to watching your video. Good luck!