Last spring, Get Rich Slowly hosted a video contest. Fifty-seven GRS readers submitted short videos sharing financial tips and success stories. From these, I picked a handful of contest winners. I had so much fun with the contest that we’re doing it again. Starting Tuesday the 15th, the GRS Video Contest is officially underway!

2011 Get Rich Slowly Video Contest
Entering the contest is easy. Simply create a video under two minutes in length. Your video should fit in one of two categories: Personal Finance Tips or Success Stories. You can use anything you want to record the videos, and you can be as creative (or non-creative) as you’d like.

Since I’m the judge for the contest, I’ll tell you right now that although content is king (meaning the quality of your tip counts for a lot), I’m going to be pre-disposed to hands-on, how-to type videos with topics like these:

  • “How to save money by changing your own oil”
  • “Fixing frugal dinners for a family of five”
  • “Growing your own food from seed”
  • “Building a home gym on the cheap”
  • “How to open a Roth IRA”
  • “How to read a mutual fund prospectus”
  • “How I started my own business raising bunnies”
  • And so on…

Here’s a sample of what a video in the Personal Finance Tips category might look like:


Chris G. with his tip for planning an end-of-year vacation

And here’s an example of what videos in the Success Stories category might look like:


Adam Baker with his personal success story

As you can see, your videos don’t have to be anything fancy. While you’re certainly welcome to get creative, what I really want is for you folks to make something by hand. I want you to take risks, get creative, and share your ideas with other GRS readers. I think it’ll be awesome, just like last year.

Prizes!
Again this year, we’re giving away cold, hard cash. The winner in each category — Personal Finance and Success Stories — will receive $500. And ten runners-up in each category will win an autographed copy of Your Money: The Missing Manual. That makes 22 prizes in all!

Bonus! There’s actually a third chance to win $500. The Website Award is for folks who have a website of their own, and would like to have it featured at Get Rich Slowly. There’s no additional video to create; just submit your video into one of the categories above, and tag it with the word “Website” and your website’s URL, and you’ll automatically be considered for this prize. (Note that no books will be awarded for the Website category.)

How to enter
If you’re over 18 years old and this contest is legal in your state (sorry, this contest is for U.S. residents only), you’re invited to submit an online video no more than two minutes in length. To do so, follow this procedure:

  • Make your awesome video.
  • Head to the video contest page, complete the entry form, upload your video, and click the “submit your video” button.
  • If you have any questions or have problems submitting your video, email videocontest@getrichslowly.org.

There are two main categories: Personal Finance Tips or Success Stories. (You may submit one video in each category, for a total of two possible entries.) And, as mentioned before, if you have a website, you can flag your video to be entered in the bonus Website category.

The contest is open until 15 April 2011. I’ll announce the winners on 30 April 2011. Once submissions start coming in, you’ll be able to view the most recent entries from the video contest page. (Plus I’ll highlight a few videos between now and April 15th.)

For complete details, please visit the video contest page and take a look at the official rules. (Yes, I know that’s a lot of legalese — it can’t be helped.)

Join the fun!
It takes guts to put yourself out there on video. Trust me, I know. But please don’t be afraid of looking like a dork. Be enthusiastic, share your knowledge, and have fun! (And if you’re worried about the juvenile YouTube commenters, simply turn off comments on your videos.)

What are you waiting for? Pull out a camera and start recording. I hope you join in the fun, not only for the possibility of winning a prize, but to also share your stories and ideas with others — and to make something by hand.

GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.

4
Comments

This article is about Administration  

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

Discover is a paid advertiser of this site. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.