American Society for Cell Biology Celldance Contest
Purpose: To open the eyes of the world to the best video and animated images showcasing the wonders of cell biology.
Definitions: Celldance 2012 continues as the original cell biology film contest, welcoming live videos, reset classic films, and new animations.
Under the auspices of the Public Information Committee (PIC), the Celldance judges are looking for the best videos, films, animations, or any other dynamic imaging process that illuminate the structure and function of cells. Entries can be descriptive or experimental, newly created video or classic 8/16-mm films re-mastered and reset in context for video. Animations, cartoons, or dynamic sequences from electron microscopy are also welcome.
The judges will give extra consideration to descriptive videos that make special efforts to illuminate basic cell processes for students and the public. Preference will be given to films that focus on some aspect of cell biology rather than whole multicellular organisms. However, films of whole organisms or tissues are acceptable if they serve the purpose of revealing normal cell function. The best entries will combine striking visuals with effective storytelling.
In addition, there is a special "Public Outreach" award for a film of strong artistic or general educational merit that communicates the excitement or importance of cell biology to a lay or student audience. Humor and/or creative artistry are welcome.
Eligibility and Permissions: The contest is open to current ASCB members and ASCB member applicants only.
Each entry must have a single "entrant" who will be the sole awardee if the submission is selected by the judges. A list of contributors may be included with the entry but such collaborators are listed only for the glory. The entrant must secure the full permission of collaborators or lab supervisors to enter the work. We accept videos of previously published material (including either primary data or supplemental data) but such entries must have "reprint" permission from the publisher. Other videos from the same data set that were not published generally do not require permission. All such material is welcome in Celldance. Entrants are urged to use narration, slides, captions, and anything else suitable to explain the experiment or illuminate the biological process.
Entrants agree to grant the ASCB a nonexclusive license to post their entry as part of a Celldance winners' reel on www.ascb.org and on other video posting sites such as YouTube. The entrant agrees that the submitted work is original and that the entrant has full authority to grant the ASCB this nonexclusive license for distributing the work for immediate, free, open-access distribution at ASCB websites or by other means, electronic and in print, for use in education, news media outreach, and other noncommercial uses.
The entrant agrees that the ASCB is not responsible for any damages, infringement of copyright, or dispute arising from its nonexclusive use of the winning entries and holds ASCB harmless from damages, liabilities, or costs related to infringement or other disputes.
A Special Note on Music Copyright: Silent entries are permitted but a clear, audible sound track with narration or music generally strengthens an entry. However, ASCB cannot consider videos that contain copyrighted music for a Celldance award unless the entrant has permission from the copyright holder. Beyonce or Lang Lang would be great on any sound track but unless the entrant has personal connections to the artist, getting permission for even snippets of commercial recordings is difficult and expensive. Furthermore, just because a song or recording is posted online doesn't mean that it is legal for downloading or reuse in a video.
However, there are sources for legally downloadable music that can be used in educational videos. Here are some starting points for royalty-free, public domain, or Creative Commons music.
http://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sound/list
www.musopen.org/
http://content-production.masternewmedia.org/royalty-free-music-where-to-find-free-music-tracks-for-your-video-clips/
Whatever the source, obtaining music permission remains the responsibility of the entrant. ASCB will confirm copyright permissions on all winning entries prior to distributing awards.
DEADLINE: The entry deadline is Thursday, September 27, 2012, 5:00 pm Eastern time. If you experience any technical difficulties please email us or call 301-397-9300 and ask to speak to Mike or Ruby. If it is after business hours, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST), please leave a detailed message and we will get back to you the next business day.
Judging will take place October 17, 2012. Private notification of winners will be on Wednesday, October 19, 2012.
Prizes and Awards: Winners will be notified in advance and all prizes will be presented Tuesday, December 18, at the 2012 ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco. You must be an ASCB member or member applicant but you don't have to be present to win. If unable to attend, please find an ASCB member who will be at the meeting to claim your award. First prize will be $500 plus a complimentary registration for the 2012 Annual Meeting. Second prize will be $200. Third prize will be $100. In addition, the "Celldance Public Outreach" award of $200 will be given to a film of strong artistic or general educational merit. Honorable Mentions and the award of all prizes are at the discretion of the judges. All winners and honorable mentions will receive a certificate and a full-color Celldance 2012 poster. The final arbiter for all Celldance decisions is the PIC chair.
Documentation: Every entry must be accompanied by annotations that clearly describe the entry. Using narration, titles, or other video production techniques that link sequences into a coherent story are strong encouraged. Such videos, however, still need the supplementary annotation.
Technical Specifications:
There is an ABSOLUTE LIMIT OF 100MB PER ENTRY. If you need help or have questions, contact John Fleischman
Only ONE video file per submission will be accepted.
Submit your video in mov (preferred), avi, or mpg formats.
Give an indication of the magnification of the video, either by referencing the frame width or, preferably, by embedding a micron bar within the video.
Note in the Comments section any digital manipulations that were made to the video.
ASCB Policy on Research Misconduct by Authors
By making a submission, an entrant agrees to the ASCB Policy on Research Misconduct by Authors.
