Attention STB Graduate Students!

Graduate and undergraduate students pursuing agriculture or related disciplines are invited to participate in the second annual “Better Seed, Better Life” Student Video Contest sponsored by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).

“Rumor Has It”

The 2018 contest theme is “Rumor Has It.” Videos should help set the record straight on a common misconception or myth associated with the seed industry and plant sciences. This could include any aspect of the seed industry (from plant breeding to seed treatments, gluten, organics, GMOs, big corporate, the role of the seed in everyday life, etc.). Videos should incorporate “man on the street” style interviews along with your own original content. Students may compete individually or as a group.

Submit Your Entry before August 31, 2018

Upload your completed video to YouTube
Submit the Youtube URL to Kaity Carpenter
Find Participant Waiver here.
Entry deadline is August 31, 9 am EST.

Official Contest Rules

Judging Criteria

Prize winners will be selected by a panel of six (6) representatives of Sponsor based on the following criteria:

  1. Message content and ideas (how memorably does the video present the specific message (30%);
  2. Production quality and visuals (what is the overall production quality of the video) (25%);
  3. Organization and framing (does the video follow a clear and logical path for the audience) (20%);
  4. Delivery (does the video utilize good visuals and sound quality that contribute to a compelling message) (25%)(collectively, (1)-(4), the “Judging Criteria”).
Grand Prize $5000!

GRAND PRIZE: The Grand Prize Winner will receive $5,000 (five thousand dollars) (the “Grand Prize”).
FIRST PRIZE: The First Prize Winner will receive $3,000 (three thousand dollars) (the “First Prize”).
SECOND PRIZE: The Second Prize Winner will receive $2,000 (two thousand dollars) (the “Second Prize”) (the Grand Prize, First Prize and Second Prize each a “Prize” and collectively, the “Prizes”).

All Prize awards are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Sponsor may choose not to award any or all Prizes at its discretion. Odds of winning Prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period.

Check Out Last Years (2017) Winner

On December 21, 2017, during the Opening General Session of CSS 2017 & Seed Expo, ASTA announced the first-place winner of its “Better Seed, Better Life” student video contest. Sponsored by ASTA, the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB), and the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America (Tri-Societies), the contest asked graduate and undergraduate students focusing on plant-science disciplines to submit videos bringing plant breeding innovation to life. The videos were judged by a panel of volunteers from ASTA member companies.

The 2017 winning video was produced by Katelyn Fritz of Iowa State University. Katelyn is a junior double majoring in Agronomy and Global Resource Systems with focus areas of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology as well as Central America.

Find Out More:

This article is an excerpt from the betterseed.org/event/ website. For details, contest rules, and requirements, please visit the ASTA website.