Watch the winning videos from Italy Reads 2011!
Student Video Contest
Students of participating Italy Reads 2012 schools are encouraged to participate in the Italy Reads Student Video Contest. Students produce videos that creatively represent the themes explored in the novel and submit the videos for judging by a panel of experts. The class of the winning video will receive a prize of 500 Euros! There are two divisions of the contest: one for English language schools and one for non-English language schools (including Italian, French, and German high schools). Students are encouraged to produce videos that are inspired by the novel. The themes of the novel include: society and class, love, visions of America, memory and the past, dissatisfaction, isolation, mortality, marriage, gender, education, lies and deceit, compassion and forgiveness. These videos can include music videos, a dramatized scene from the novel, a documentary consideration of one of the themes of the novel, or an impressionistic video in response to one of the themes. Students are encouraged to be creative and innovative in their interpretation of one of the themes in their videos.
Contest Rules
All students who appear in a video submitted to compete in the drama contest must be from the same class at the same school. Classes are encouraged to submit multiple entries. All students who appear in a video submitted to compete in the drama contest must authorize John Cabot University to publish his/her image (photo or video) on the university’s website and official JCU social media sites such as, but not limited to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter free of charge.
Submissions must be received by the deadline of 4:00p.m., Friday, 30 November 2012.
Submissions of videos to the contest must includes a note or message that includes: name of school, name of teacher, list of students involved in making video (both those appearing in and those involved in other aspects of the production), e-mail address and contact information for person submitting the video. Included with the submission should be a disclaimer form signed by each person who appears in the video.
Videos have a maximum 10 minute limit and must be submitted on CD as AVI or MOV formatted files or uploaded to YouTube with the web address or URL submitted via email to Italy Reads (italyreads@johncabot.edu). DVDs can be hand delivered to Ms. Gina Spinelli at the Guarini Campus of John Cabot University, Via della Lungara 233, Rome (Trastevere) or mailed to Ms. Gina Spinelli, John Cabot University, Via della Lungara 233, 00165 Rome.
The committee of judges will select the winning video based on the following criteria.
Artistic interpretation of the novel's themes.
Acting ability of those appearing in video (if video includes actors).
Creativity in direction of the video.
Originality of interpretation.
Quality of video recording.
Quality of audio.
Two (2) awards for the amount of 500 Euros each will be given to the class whose submission has been determined to best satisfy the above-listed criteria. Award Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on December 2012 (date TBC).
Prize money must be spent on a project or activity chosen by the class as a group and approved by the Italy Reads participating teacher. The prize funds must be spent before June 2013 and a report on how the award was spent must be submitted to Italy Reads 2012 by the end of June 2013.