*America.gov, Democracy Video Challenge on YouTube

Water, color, and football — or soccer as it's called in America — were among the many varying images used by filmmakers to define democracy in the Democracy Video Challenge. The online competition asked people around the world to create a short video that completes the phrase, “Democracy is…” Representatives from the U.S. State Department, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector and the diplomatic community viewed some of the 196 competition semifinalists in Washington on May 7. Representatives of these organizations participated in a question-and-answer session to share their thoughts on the videos' messages about democracy. The Democracy Video Challenge is an online video contest launched at the United Nations on September 15, 2008. Launched on International Democracy Day, contestants were invited to submit videos no more than three minutes long. The idea was to encourage people to discuss the nature of democracy. Filmmakers from more than 90 countries submitted about 900 videos. The films display a variety of opinion, vision and creativity. The Master of Ceremonies at the event described democracy as the “collected opinions of millions of people around the world.” Those watching at the films' screening in Washington received a sample of those opinions. Films were shown from a diverse set of countries across the globe – from China to El Salvador, and from Iran to Cote d'Ivoire. Using their cameras and creativity, contestants brought the concepts of democracy to life with messages that ranged from serious to satirical to interpretive. The messages included “Democracy is half social, half individual,” “Democracy is a game,” or “Democracy is empowering the individual.” Many videos were created by young people, suggesting the growing role that youth are taking in democratic discussions.

The Democracy Video Challenge is a partnership between the State Department and several entertainment, academic and democratic institutions. Award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Michael Apted and Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto oversaw the selection of 18 finalist videos announced May 15. They selected three films from each of six regions – the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia and East Asia/Pacific. The public will select the winning videos by voting online from May 15 through June 15 on You Tube. The winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, New York and Hollywood. There they will spend time on television and film sets; meet with film professionals, democracy advocates and government officials; and attend special screenings of their videos.

Representatives from the U.S. State Department, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector and the diplomatic community viewed some of the 196 competition semifinalists in Washington on May 7. Representatives of these organizations participated in a question-and-answer session to share their thoughts on the videos' messages about democracy.

The Democracy Video Challenge is an online video contest launched at the United Nations on September 15, 2008. Launched on International Democracy Day, contestants were invited to submit videos no more than three minutes long. The idea was to encourage people to discuss the nature of democracy. Filmmakers from more than 90 countries submitted about 900 videos. The films display a variety of opinion, vision and creativity. The Master of Ceremonies at the event described democracy as the “collected opinions of millions of people around the world.”

Those watching at the films' screening in Washington received a sample of those opinions. Films were shown from a diverse set of countries across the globe – from China to El Salvador, and from Iran to Cote d'Ivoire. Using their cameras and creativity, contestants brought the concepts of democracy to life with messages that ranged from serious to satirical to interpretive. The messages included “Democracy is half social, half individual,” “Democracy is a game,” or “Democracy is empowering the individual.” Many videos were created by young people, suggesting the growing role that youth are taking in democratic discussions.