2026 Dallas EEI Video Essay Contest

  • Video Essay Contest Rules

    -Video must be aligned with the current contest theme. The theme is “Human Impact on Watersheds: What can we do?” (More information below)

    -All video and music content must be original and royalty-free. If you use royalty-free music or images, you must include a reference sheet with your video submission with links to the sources where you obtained the image and/or music. If you upload royalty-free content without the reference sheet or use copyrighted material, your submission will be disqualified.

    -Middle school submission videos must be between 1-3 minutes. High school submission videos must be between 3-5 minutes.

    -One video submission per student.

    -Videos MUST feature horizontal (wide) orientation, like a movie screen. Vertical (tall) videos will be disqualified.

    Submit your video by uploading it to Youtube or Google Drive and sharing the link with us in your application.

    Questions? Contact us - DallasEEI@unt.edu

  • Eligibility

    -Students must be a middle or high school student in Dallas. This includes public, private, or charter schools.

    -Applicants must comply with the video essay contest rules.

    -You must include the parental release form with your video. If you fail to upload a parental release form, your submission will be disqualified.

    -You must submit a reference sheet citing all your sources. Every video submission must have a reference sheet. A more detailed explanation on what a reference sheet is is outlined in the FAQ section below.

    Parental Release Form

Background Information

This is DallasEEI’s first annual Video Essay Contest and this year’s theme is “Human Impact on Watersheds: What Can We Do?”. Humans directly and indirectly impact the water in watersheds. How do you think humans directly and indirectly impact watersheds? What can we do to reduce human impact? For more information on watersheds utilize the resources below.

Watershed Resources:

Application deadline: 3/27/2026

Finalist Notified: 4/06/2026

In-person Summit Screening: 4/11/2026 at Townview High school

Submit Video, Parental Form and Reference sheet

Conservation Awareness Items

First Place

Chromebook

Second Place

Rocketbook

People’s Choice Award

Backpack

What is a video essay and what should my video include?

A video essay is a video of you educating the public about a topic or theme. The content you present should be scripted and supported by research from a variety of reputable sources and/or personally collected data. The best video essays are creative, and engaging and incorporate a variety of viewpoints and perspectives. Below is a compilation of short video essays put together by DallasEEI’s 2020 summer interns!

Resources to help you bring out your star filmmaker!

  1. Record better videos with your smartphone.

  2. Editing your videos.

  3. Capcut tips and tricks!

  4. Capcut video editing tool.

Submit Video, Parental Form and Reference sheet

 FAQs

  • The contest is open to public, private, charter or home-schooled students in middle and high school in Dallas, Texas.

  • You can upload your video to Youtube or Google Drive and send us the link to your video through the application. There will be a text box for you to paste your video link. Please make sure that we can access your video and that it is not set to “private”. We will need to be able to download the video. If you encounter problems, you can also email us your video at DallasEEI@unt.edu

  • We believe in supplying conservation awareness items that contribute to the students’ advancement in science and conservation efforts within Dallas. These items include chromebooks, rocketbooks and backpacks.

  • Middle school submission videos must be between 1-3 minutes long. High school submission videos must be between 3-5 minutes long.

  • We want to see your original and creative content, but you can use royalty-free content. If you choose to utilize royalty-free content, you must include a reference sheet with links to where you found the content online.

  • Absolutely, but please include English subtitles!

  • No. Each student is allowed to upload one video submission.

  • You are allowed to work in groups, but only one student is allowed to submit the video under their name. There will be only one prize per video.

  • Your video must align with this year’s theme.

  • Your video must align with this year’s theme, but the possibilities are endless! You can talk about current research in the field, discuss watersheds near your home, and how human impact affects wildlife or people. You can end your video with a song, poem, or personal narrative. You are the STAR!

  • A reference sheet is a sheet that lists all the sources where you obtained your information. Because this is a research project, you are required to look up information from reputable sources to support the information you are sharing in your video.

  • Contact us directly at DallasEEI@unt.edu