- How has faith inspired you? Comforted you? Empowered you?
- How has faith motivated you to help others? Or, motivated others to help you?
- How is faith a source for good?
- Have you witnessed a person doing something good because of their faith? How about an organization doing something good because of their faith?
- Check out entries from previous years here.
Submissions have ended. Check out the next steps here
The Call
What does the world look like through your unique lens of faith? Pull out your phone, grab your camera gear, tap record, and show us in two minutes or less how faith changes lives, relationships and communities for the better.
We believe that faith is more than a tradition or a group of sayings that inspire for a moment and then leave you empty. Faith is a living, breathing, life-lifting, incredible thing vital to today’s culture in its many forms. The fruits of faith are still fresh today.
So tell a story that makes us laugh, brings us to tears, inspires, entertains, or all of the above. Let your imagination run wild and your camera follow. You don’t have to be the next Spielberg to play-you just need a phone and an idea.
How it Works
Make A Video
Create a compelling video (two minutes or less) that showcases the power of faith in a positive light. Helps us understand. Teach us. Motivate and inspire us. This is your chance to show the world what faith is all about. Downloadable end slates here.
Submit
Upload your video to your YouTube account and then fill out the entry form. Entrants must be 18 years old or older. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 11:59 EST. Use #FaithCounts when you share your video.
Vote
After the first round of judging, the 10 final videos will be announced and will be eligible for the Fan Favorite award. Come back then to see if your video made the cut and vote for your favorite between September 30 and October 14!
Win
Faith Counts judges will pick the Grand Prize winner ($20,000) and one Honorable Mention winner ($2,500). A Fan Favorite winner ($10,000) will be chosen by popular vote on FaithCounts.com
The Prizes
Two ways to win, three great prizes. Faith Counts judges will pick the Grand Prize winner and one Honorable Mention winner. The 10 finalist videos (announced after the first round of judging) will also be eligible for the Fan Favorite award, which will be chosen by Faith Counts fans, your friends, and family by voting on FaithCounts.com.
Grand Prize
Grand Prize winner will win $20,000
Fan Favorite
Fan Favorite will win $10,000
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention will win $5,000
Meet The Judges
Ideas To Get You Started
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I’ve never made a video before. Where do I start?
A: Don’t be intimidated! Some of the most viral videos are taken by people just like you, with simple camera phones.
Q: Can I ask someone for help?
A: Yes! Ask for opinions or help from others–get a few close friends to preview your video and be open to feedback; if your school has a film department or graphics department, ask for their input!
Q: Can I use a video I’ve created for another project?
A: We want everyone to have a fair chance for this contest, so we’re looking for original content. Your submission cannot have been previously published, submitted, distributed or aired prior to putting it on YouTube for this contest.
Q: How does the judging work?
A: All entries will be judged by a panel of Faith Counts judges. Two rounds of judging will take place. During the first round, the panel of judges will narrow down the entries to the top 10 videos. The 10 finalist videos will be eligible for the Grand Prize, Honorable Mention, and Fan Favorite awards. Faith Counts judges will pick the Grand Prize winner (receiving $20,000) and one Honorable Mention winner (receiving $5,000). The Fan Favorite winner (receiving $10,000) will be determined by votes on FaithCounts.com. The voting period for the Fan Favorite award is September 30 through October 14!
Q: When will the winners be announced?
A: The Fan Favorite winner will be announced on the Faith Counts social media channels in October. The Grand Prize winner and the Honorable Mention winners will be announced at an event and on the Faith Counts social media channels the same month. At the event, the Grand Prize winner is expected to attend and receive the award with remarks.
Q: Can I win the Fan Favorite award and be chosen for the Grand Prize or Honorable Mention award?
A: That would be really cool, right? But we want to make sure we recognize as many incredible entries as possible, so your video submission is only eligible to win one prize. If a submission is chosen by the judging panel to win the Grand Prize or Honorable Mention and is also chosen by popular vote to be the Fan Favorite, the entrant will receive the prize with the higher cash amount and the judging panel will award the other prize to the entrant with the next best scores (either in the judged category or the Fan Favorite category, depending on which prize is forfeited by the winning entrant).
Do you have a burning question that we didn’t cover? Email us at videocontest@faithcounts.com.
Legal Stuff
You need to read and agree to the Official Rules to enter. It’s got all the important lawyerly stuff, including:
- You have to be 18 years or older to enter.
- You can’t use someone else’s video or music–especially famous musicians. They really don’t like that! If you want to use someone else’s music, you need to have their written permission. There are some great sites online with “license-free” music clips that you CAN use. See more details about rights in the Official Rules.
- You have to be able to get written agreements from anyone who appears in your video (pretty much saying, “Hey, I’m okay with being shown in this video.”).
- You must be willing to give us rights to your entry submission–because if it’s really good we’ll want to share it with others!
- Videos must be appropriate–no bad language, nudity, or anything like that.
- Videos must showcase faith in a positive light.
- If your entry is chosen as a finalist (top 10 videos), you must be willing to talk to the media about your experience making your video.