The HistoryMakers ScienceMakers YouTube Oral History Contest
Full Guidelines, Rules and Tips


Think you have what it takes to be a ScienceMaker?
Show us! The ScienceMakers are African Americans who have made a significant impact on the worldwide
scientific community, whether as an engineer, col ege biology professor, seismologist, research chemist
and more. We are looking for YouTube video submissions from students with two special requirements: a
passion for science, and a dream. The ScienceMakers YouTube Oral History Contest is free and open
to any student in fifth through twelfth grade at a full time U.S. public, private, or home school. Your
video can either be an imaginary interview with yourself as a scientist in the future, or an impersonation of
a ScienceMaker from the ScienceMakers Toolkit. Be as creative as possible, as accurate as possible, as
safe as possible, and remember to have as much fun as possible!
There are many possibilities for your video—maybe you will create technology for movie special effects
like ScienceMaker Marc Hannah. Will you observe robot and human interactions, like ScienceMaker
Odest Jenkins? Or study the stars and how the universe began, like ScienceMaker Neil deGrasse Tyson?
You could even protect the environment and work for the government, like ScienceMaker Lisa Jackson.
How will you make your contribution to science?
Here’s how it works:
Before making your video, check with your teacher, afterschool club leader or educational leader about
your video idea. With help from an adult, search the web for information about the field you plan to
explore in your video. Winning videos wil teach the viewer something new about science and about the
ScienceMaker, and wil also have an aspect of oral history—describing the life of you or the scientist and
the time in which you or the scientist live.

No matter what approach you take, here are the rules that everyone must fol ow:
1. Before submitting your video, please review the terms for submitting content on the YouTube
website (see below).
2. Choose a ScienceMaker from the collection (either to impersonate or use as inspiration). Some
sample questions to answer:
a. Where are you from?

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b. What field are you in? What do you do every day at work?
c. Describe how you became a successful scientist. Remember, being a ScienceMaker
means paying attention to details and facts! As any real scientist would do, make sure
you double check your results to be completely accurate in your presentation!
i. Who inspired you to become a scientist?
ii. What struggles did you face? How did you survive those chal enges?
d. Mention what accomplishments you have made.
e. Include a clear visual demonstration of anything in the scientific field you have chosen.
f. If you decide to make a video of your future scientist self, here are some questions for
you to think about:
i. Where did you go to school?
ii. What science field did you choose and why?
iii. Who inspired you? (This is where you talk about the ScienceMaker!)
iv. What do you research? Animals? Organisms? Nature? Atoms?
v. What new discoveries have you made?
vi. Have you won any awards for your research?
vii. How did you get interested in science? How old were you?
3. No inappropriate videos will be accepted. These men and women overcame many obstacles
and challenges to become the great scientists they are today. Think about how you would want
to be portrayed if you were a ScienceMaker.
4. Videos must be submitted in English.
5. Videos must be between one (1) and three (3) minutes long.
6. Students must be U.S. citizens or legal residents living within the United States or its territories.
7. Students may be 18 years of age and younger to submit a video, and must get parental
permission before entering the contest.
8. Students must work with help from their teacher, afterschool club leader or other educational
leader to ensure safety.
9. The videos must be done creatively!

To submit your video, go on www.youtube.com and create a free account if you do not already have one.
Locate the ScienceMakers YouTube page (youtube.com/users/ScienceMakers1) and add a comment to
our channel with a link to your video. You can also see our sample video and past winners online. Once a
student has won, he/she cannot enter again.

How we choose the winner:
The video oral history contest entries will be judged by a panel including: The HistoryMakers Executive
Director and the Science Producer, representatives from each of the featured science centers (3-4
individuals); and a professional science association member and scientist - so make sure your science is
correct!

Prizes:
The winning video from each year of the contest wil be featured on the ScienceMakers website, YouTube,
Teacher Tube and wil be shown at a public event at each of the ScienceMakers featured science centers.
The top three videos wil also each be awarded cash prizes of $300 (first place), $200 (second place) and
$100 (third place).

Time Schedule:

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The video oral history contest will be held in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Each year, entries must be uploaded
to YouTube in the fal from October 1st through November 30th. Judging wil occur from December
1st through January 15th. All valid entries will be judged by the Judging Panel (described above).
Winners will be notified and winning videos posted on the website after the public programs at the end of
February.

Things To Keep In Mind:
• Sound is the most important part of any video. If we can’t hear you, we can’t judge your video!
• Make a schedule and “cast list” for your video shoot. What day will you write the script? Make
the costumes? Set up the scenery? When will you practice? Who will be the cameraperson? Who
will interview you?
• When shooting your video, make sure the camera isn’t too far away. Look at the
ScienceMakers website for good examples of a close-up face shot.
• Test out your equipment before shooting.
• Edit the video once you have completed videotaping with the Flip camera. Note: Some
videos do not require editing. Special effects and animation are welcome, if you have
experience with them, but don’t go overboard! Make sure that the special effects don’t overpower
the scientific and biographical content of your video.
• Pay attention to lighting. If we can’t see you, we can’t judge you, either! Don’t shoot your video
into a light source or in front of windows.
• We invite background music, but it should not be so loud or distracting that it detracts from the
content of your video. Background music must be appropriate—no curse words or otherwise
inappropriate language is permitted, from the contestant or from the background music.
• Film at eye level, unless you have a special effect in mind (like filming birds up in a tree).
• Take your time! Remember, this video wil be on YouTube for the entire world to see.

Terms & Conditions:
1. By participating, contestants agree to the ScienceMakers YouTube Oral History Contest Guidelines
described in this document.
2. The HistoryMakers acquires the rights to use all submitted videos for promotional purposes,
including, but not limited to, such mediums as the Internet, printed or electronic marketing
materials, and DVDs for sale. No royalties will be paid to the video creators on proceeds of DVD
sales; however, video creators retain their rights to use, distribute and sell and their own videos
without restrictions. Winning contestants will be asked to sign a waiver regarding these terms.
3. Void outside of the United States and where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. All federal,
state, and local laws and regulations apply.
4. Videos must not contain identifying information about any person, including the entrant.
Identifying information includes last name, phone number, address or email.
5. Each contestant may only submit one (1) video.
6. Winners failing to respond in a timely manner to notification of winning, or who fail to sign the
waiver in a timely manner, will forfeit their prize. If a prize is forfeited, the judges will choose an
alternate winner.
7. Contestants must only submit their own original work; videos must not violate copyright or
intellectual property rights. Videos must also not be inappropriate, defamatory or libelous.
8. Contestants agree to indemnify and hold The HistoryMakers, its assigns and licensees harmless
from and against any and al third party claims, actions or proceedings of any kind and from any
and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to or arising out of any breach or alleged
breach of any of the warranties, representations, or agreements of contestants hereunder.

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9. By participating in this contest, winners irrevocably grant The HistoryMakers, its assigns and
licensees the right to use such winner’s name, likeness, biographical information, and video in any
and all media for any purpose, including without limitation, advertising and/or promotional
purposes as wel as in, on or in connection with The HistoryMakers’ website or other promotions,
throughout the universe, in perpetuity, by means of any and al media and device whether now
known or hereafter devised and hereby release The HistoryMakers from any liability with respect
thereto.

YouTube Conditions:
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comments. You understand that YouTube does not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to
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the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to publish Content you submit; and you
license to YouTube all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and
to such Content for publication on the Service pursuant to these Terms of Service.
3. For clarity, you retain al of your ownership rights in your Content. However, by submitting
Content to YouTube, you hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free,
sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of,
display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and YouTube's (and its
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media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the Service a non-exclusive license to access
your Content through the Service, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such
Content as permitted through the functionality of the Service and under these Terms of Service.
The above licenses granted by you in video Content you submit to the Service terminate within a
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understand and agree, however, that YouTube may retain, but not display, distribute, or perform,
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Document Outline

• Think you have what it takes to be a ScienceMaker?

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