One minute to change the world

Can you change the world in sixty seconds? Probably not, but if you are between 12 and 20 years old and have access to a videocamera you can participate to the OneMinutesJr video awards. Run by the One Minutes Foundation in partnership with UNICEF, the awards are aimed at inspiring young people to think creatively about themselves, their dreams, the places and people that surround them, their lives.

“Our aim isn’t really to create a new generation of directors but rather to stimulate the creativity of young people, especially those who are under priviledged, to help them think outside the box and to give them the opportunity of sharing their lives with the rest of the world,” says Anja Masling, who has been in charge of the project since its beginning in 2006.

The competition’s only rule is that the videos be exactly 60 seconds long, which isn’t just a name giving gimmick but rather a well thought out strategy which encourages videomakers to define and present their ideas clearly. Other than that participants are free to create any kind of video they want be it musical, fictional, documentary or animation and the three competition categories are broad so as not to restrict or guide the imaginations of participants.

“We receive entries from all over the world,” explains Masling on the phone from the One Minutes headquarters in Amsterdam, “its is very exciting and stimulating to see how these young people choose to share their experiences with the world”.

So far almost 300 videos have been submitted but the June 1 st deadline is still two months away and many more applications are expected. All the videos, including those from past editions, can be viewed online on the OneMinutesJr website.  

www.theoneminutesjr.org