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As we enter a new year, the last of this decade, many people are setting goals and thinking about their future. Among goals for career or academic achievement, a growing trend has developed of seeking out world travel. Although not yet within their peak earning years, the millennial generation has 23 percent more interest in international travel than older generations, reports the Boston Consulting Group.
Whether you are old or young, it’s not uncommon to experience a deep longing to visit the place your ancestors called home. Countless people share an ambition to travel and explore the world around them, but not everyone has the means to do so. If you’re interested in telling your story through a three-minute video, you can win a trip for two to your ancestral homeland, courtesy of the RootsTech Film Festival and its sponsors. All you need to do is follow some simple steps to enter:
1. Make a video
Even if you’ve never made a video before, all skill levels are encouraged in the entries for this contest. You can use your camera phone, a video camera or even professional equipment. Use this video to create or tell a compelling story about what it means to you to connect and belong. Once you have a clean edit that’s engaging and unique, you’re ready to submit.
2. Submit your video entry
Video entries will be submitted through a YouTube link. The deadline for entries is Jan. 30, 2019. Entries must be through a valid YouTube account, which is free and easy to make. What’s more, if you have an existing Google or Gmail account, you can use that to sign in to your own personal YouTube account. Remember to keep your entry under three minutes! Submissions may be entered in one of three categories: youth, amateur and professional. Make your best judgment for which category fits your submission best.
3. Share your video and vote
Using the hashtag #Rootstech2019, share your video as much as possible, so people can view it and vote. After the initial judging by the RootsTech Film Team Panel, public voting will take place Feb. 1-14 on the RootsTech website rootstechfilmfest.org. This is the time to share your video and encourage your friends and family to vote for it. On Feb. 16, 10 finalists will be chosen and notified. These finalists will receive two complimentary tickets to RootsTech Conference, where the grand prize winner and honorable mentions will be announced on March 2, 2019.
For more information about the contest rules, visit rootstechfilmfest.org today.
Reasons to enter
The growing trend or interest in connecting to those who came before is not without purpose or reason. Knowing where you and your family came from helps you to feel grounded, and it can even shape or deepen one’s identity. DNA testing is so advanced that people can even find out their full ethnic and geographical background just by submitting a saliva sample. But more than knowing your DNA and genetic origins, it’s about making connections to those around you now —relatives, both near and distant, abound when you know how to look. With that many connections, it’s impossible not to feel you belong.
Regardless of whether you win a prize (and those are definitely worth noting), entering the RootsTech Film Festival can help you examine how you connect with your family and the world around you, which isn’t a bad activity at this time of entering a new year and turning a new leaf.
If you have questions about the RootsTech Film Fest video contest that weren’t answered here, email questions@rootstechfilmfest.org with your inquiries.
