There is $20,000 in prize money up to be won in this year's Great Ideas Video Competition, according to the BYU–Hawaii website. The BYUH website also says, “The Great Ideas Conference, on Nov. 12, 2015, is focused on a video competition that helps students learn how to ‘tell your business story.’”
Taylor Steele, a recent graduate who now teaches entrepreneurship at BYU–Hawaii, said, “Last year’s Great Ideas Competition was great. It was two hours of watching your video, and your friends’ videos on the IMAX screen.”
Jon Heder, known for his role as Napoleon Dynamite, is one of the guest judges, said Steele. Steele competed last year as a student and went on to win the social division.
To students wanting to participate in this year’s competition, Steele said, “Whatever idea you decide on, choose an idea that you are really stoked on. That excitement comes through in your work…. I think that I got more excited about seeing my friend’s videos than seeing my own video. It’s just a really exciting event, where you are able to see what everyone is able to create.”
There are three categories to enter a video into: product, service, and social. In each category the 1st place winner takes home $3,000, 2nd place $2,000, and 3rd place $1,000. “Students are encouraged to dive into the heart of their business, or business idea, and discover the ‘why’ behind it. Videos shouldn't focus on a product or service's features, but rather the focus should be on the emotions that go into a product or service to make it great,” says the BYUH website.
Braden Wiscomb, a senior from California studying business marketing who said he is planning on entering this year’s competition, said, “I don’t really have any video experience other than with my Entrepreneurship 390R class, where we are learning about video editing and shooting. Previous to the class, though, all that I had done was messed around in iMovie.” Wiscomb said he plans on promoting his business idea of selling guitar pickups through a story conveying the importance of blues music.
Similar to Wiscomb, Kevan Hendrickson, a senior from Arizona studying IDS, said he is aiming to promote his business through the competition. Hendrickson co-founded a business with Peter Wasden called Fit Craft in January, an online multiuser game which tries to get the gamers in better shape. He said, “since [January] we have been doing a lot of social media. We now have 8,000 followers on Twitter. We have been working on the Fit Craft App, which should be coming out within the next month.”
For more information about rules and important dates for the Great Ideas Competition, go to willescenter.byuh.edu.