Omnitrans Student TV Commercial Contest

Do you ever watch TV and think, “I could make a better commercial than that”?
Well, students, here’s your chance to do it yourself.

Your 25 seconds of digital brilliance may not be worth class credit, but it could be worth some serious cash. All you need to win and get your spot on TV is a video camera, an idea, and Internet access. Read on.

Your homework:	Enter an original student-made TV commercial designed to get other students to ride the Omnitrans bus. Complete the online registration form, then upload your video to JumpCut.com no later than March 20, 2008. Read on for other important details, like prize money.
The Prizes:	First Prize: $1,000 cash, a MacBook laptop computer, a year’s worth of free bus rides, and of course, TV air time for your homemade commercial. Second Prize: $500 cash, a DVD camcorder, Best Buy Gift Card, and six month’s of free bus rides. Third Prize: $250 cash, a digital camera, digital photo frame, plus three month’s worth of free bus rides. Finalist: A month’s worth of free bus rides and a $25 Best Buy gift card.
The Necessities:	Student ID, a camera, Internet Access and friends who'll vote for you
Important Dates:	Contest runs February 18 to March 20, 2008. Winners announced on April 5, 2008 at Inland Empire 66ers baseball game.

Ready to Go?

The first step on your way to video glory is to set up a JumpCut account. Go to www.JumpCut.com.
When you're done, write down your JumpCut Screen Name, then complete our online registration form.

Rules of the Road. And the Airwaves.
There are certain rules your commercial has to follow to be on TV. Namely, no swearing, no naked people, nothing too violent or dangerous or offensive. Also no illegal activity. There are a few more. Click here for the lawyers’ complete list of official rules. Please read and follow them all. But don’t worry, you won’t be quizzed.

You must be a STUDENT, age 13 or older living in the Omnitrans service area of San Bernardino County or attending school in the service area. Winners will need to verify their student status and/or residency. If your ZIP code is in this list, you can enter:
Your video must be submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 20, 2008.
(But that’s also when online voting ends, so don’t wait until the last day because it’ll be tough to get many votes.)
Videos must be in English.
Videos must be one of the following formats: .mpg, .mp4, .mov, .flv, .avi, .wmv.
Maximum file size for your video: 100 MB.
Video must be exactly 25 seconds. No more, no less. (The winning spot will be “tagged” with an additional 5 seconds.)
Finalists will be required to send a talent release form to Omnitrans by mail or fax before March 28, 2008. If a person shown in the video is under age 18, their parent’s signature is required on the talent release form.
You can film on the bus, as long as you do not disrupt service or distract the driver. You’ll need to print out the notice for filming on board and show it if asked.
Submissions must be all original content, except for imagery provided by Omnitrans.
Again, no dangerous, offensive or illegal actions, images or language please. Be safe out there!
Maximum ten submissions per entrant. That should be plenty!
Submit your commercial by uploading it to Jumpcut . If you don’t have fancy video editing software, you can always edit your raw footage online using Jumpcut.
You must have a Jumpcut Screen Name to participate. Relax, the registration process is simple. And if you already have a Yahoo! ID, you can use the same one.
Omnitrans will review all spots prior to posting online, so your spot won’t appear right away. Entrants must first complete the online registration form before their spot will be approved to appear on Jumpcut.
Tell your friends! Once your commercial is posted online, get your friends to vote for you. Finalists will be determined by popular vote! Omnitrans will select the winner from among the top 10 finalists. Second and Third Prize awards will go to commercials with the most votes after the First Prize winner. All finalists will receive a prize.
Winners will be announced on April 5, 2008 at the Inland Empire 66ers baseball game. All finalists will be given tickets to the game, although you don’t have to attend to win.

Good luck!

Here's Some Stuff You'll Need...

Pictures & Logos
Right click on the link and select the "save source" option to save the file to your system.

...or just download a zip with all the images.

Pick Your Favorite
Watch these videos. Find your favorite. Vote for it by clicking on "Love It!" You can also see the videos on the JumpCut group page.