2024 PhD Video Challenge: Why It Matters

Calling all PhD candidates!

You are invited to participate in the 2024 Video Challenge by creating a 2-minute video that tells the world about the significance of your research.

The Video Challenge celebrates a diversity of built environment research. It’s free to enter and there are cash prizes, recognition and kudos.

Purpose

This ‘video challenge’ celebrates a diversity of built environment research from PhD students in many countries and built environment disciplines.

Collectively, these videos will illustrate the importance and interest of emerging built environment research to civil society, politics and industry.

The theme of this video challenge is “WHY IT MATTERS”. This is an opportunity to explain the significance of your research in relation to major societal issues, articulate a ‘big picture’ view of its potential contribution and impacts.

Your video should explain clearly, succinctly and creatively why your research matters and how it fits into the wider context and might contribute to society. It must be aimed at the general public.

By engaging in this video challenge, participants will improve their communication skills and enhance the visibility of their work.

Videos will be showcased to the public (hosted on Vimeo). This will increase public awareness and appreciation of the contribution of built environment research.

Register for the 2024 PhD Video Challenge

Once you have read about the Video Challenge and are ready to enter, use this form to register.

Online Workshop: “How to make a good video”

Registration is now closed for our online workshop entitled “How to make a good video” for interested entrants on 5 September 2024.

Rules

Eligibility

Any student currently in a PhD program related to the ‘built environment’ and up to one year after their PhD degree award.

The topic must be based on applicants’ PhD research.

‘Built environment’ in the broadest sense means the creation, use, operation, maintenance and stewardship of the built environment (buildings, neighbourhoods, cities, peri-urban & rural areas, infrastructure, land use) including social, environmental, economic and physical aspects. PhDs may come from a variety of departments or disciplines: sociology, geography, construction, engineering, facilities management, architecture, planning, real estate, urban studies, environmental design, finance, project management, etc.

Entry

• Only one video per applicant.
• A statement about the content of your video (100 words).
• Evidence is required for your enrolment in a PhD programme or the date of when a PhD was awarded. This can be a scan of your student ID or a letter from your supervisor.
• A short 100-word biography about you (educational background, current interests, the research topic of your PhD and where you see yourself in 5 years).
• A headshot.
• Your contact details: full postal address, email and institutional and departmental affiliation.

Deadline

Completed applications and videos must be submitted before Tuesday 15 October 2024 noon (UCT / GMT / UK time). Late submissions will be disqualified.

Scope

Your video should explain the significance of your research to a wide, general audience and address ‘why this matters’. It should pertain to research about the built environment and its impacts in the broadest sense: the social and physical resources, creation, use, operation, maintenance & stewardship of the built environment (buildings, neighbourhoods, cities, peri-urban & rural areas, infrastructure, land use) including social, environmental, economic & physical aspects.  

The topic may be transdisciplinary in nature or be based in a specific discipline: sociology, geography, construction, engineering, facilities management, architecture, planning, real estate, urban studies, environmental design, finance, project management, business, etc.

Format

We encourage creativity and the use of different formats that help to clearly convey your message: live action, animation, still images, visual effects.

Length

The video must be 120 seconds or less (in total). Videos longer than this will be disqualified.

Language

The video can be in any language but those in languages other than English must have English subtitles.

Subtitles

Subtitles are highly recommended for all video entries (regardless of language). Videos in languages other than English must have English subtitles.

Sound

Narration and musical background are allowed. It is important that good sound quality is provided (see Guidance for more information).

Copyright and permissions

Your video must contain original work. Any externally sourced images, video clips or music used in your video must be licensed to you or have Creative Commons permission. If people appear in your video, they have given written consent to appear in the video and have been told it will be entered into this competition. Details of the consent and license to use your video are provided on the registration page.

Technical Requirements

Videos should be in either .mp4 or .mov format, no larger than 500mb, and 120 seconds or less in duration; Resolution should be 1920 x 1080. Video file should be named as the Reference Code you will receive by email upon submission of your entry.

Awards

• First prize: €800
• Second prizes: €600
• People’s vote prize: €400

Guidance

• The content and presentation are qualitatively and quantitatively different from an academic presentation. Remember that the emphasis is on the significance of your research, not the methods and needs to be understood by a general audience.
• We recommend that you first develop a clear overarching message and narrative – a clear story. Then turn this into a storyboard with approximate timings. This process may require several iterations and should be critically evaluated.
• When you have a final storyboard, it is time to start filming. Most smartphones will be sufficient for this purpose. (However, the sound recording quality from smartphones is often poor, see next bullet point below.)
• If using sound, you may need to record this separately or use a separate microphone. Microphones in smartphones work best when directly adjacent to the speaker.
• The emphasis is on the quality of narrative (which includes the use of visual material) to convey your story. 
• We recommend keeping ‘talking heads’ and powerpoint slides to a minimum (or avoid altogether).
• Do not use synthesized (machine or AI) narration.
• Have a look at the winners from the 2022 Video Challenge.

Judging criteria

The judges’ criteria for assessment of videos are:

• Meets the stated rules?
• Content and scope are appropriate to the competition?
• Accessible to a general audience?
• The video clearly states “why the research matters”?
• Clarity of the societal significance of the research?
• Explained clearly and concisely?
• Factually accurate?
• Clear narrative thread?
• Sound and visual quality clear and appropriate?
• Held the viewer’s attention?
• Overall message is apparent?

The judges’ decision is final.

Resources

• Workshop: Video Challenge will offer an online workshop entitled “How to make a good video” for interested entrants on 5 September 2024. REGISTER HERE to attend.
• Your university or department may be able to offer you technical advice and support
• How to license music & free music resources
• How to make a selfie video
• Examples from the previous PhD Video Challenge

Online Workshop: “How to make a good video”

Registration is now closed for our online workshop entitled “How to make a good video” for interested entrants on 5 September 2024.

Some useful content on creating a video can also be found here:

• Aines, R.D. & Aines, A.L. (2019). Championing Science: Communicating Your Ideas to Decision Makers. Oakland: University of California Press.
• Alda, A. (2017). If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating. New York: Random House.
• Anderson, C. (2016). TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Dean, C. (2009). Am I Making Myself Clear? A Scientist's Guide to Talking to the Public. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Luna, R.E. (2013). The Art of Scientific Storytelling: Transform Your Research with a Step-by-Step Formula. Amado International.

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Coordinating Committee

• Richard Lorch, Buildings & Cities
• Andreas Klee, Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz-Association
• Kareem Buyana, Makerere University Uganda
• Rick Diamond, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Virginia Gori, University College London
• Sila Ceren Varis Husar, Slovak University of Technology
• Carolin Pleines, Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz-Association
• Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Rajan Rawal, CEPT University
• Marta Smektala, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
• Chiara Tagliaro, Politecnico di Milano