MAD Research Video Contest

Made At Dartmouth (MAD) Research Video Contest is a video competition that allows undergraduate students to communicate their research to a broad audience. Students at Dartmouth are doing research in every academic discipline, from the sciences and social sciences to the humanities and creative arts; however, they don’t have many opportunities to share their work with others. Short videos are a great way for students to share their research and for the Dartmouth community to learn about the broad range of student projects.

The competition is jointly sponsored by Undergraduate Advising & Research (UGAR) and the Dartmouth Library's Jones Media Center (JMC) in Baker-Berry Library.

Who is eligible?

Any Dartmouth undergraduate who is engaged in research outside the classroom (including honors thesis research) with a Dartmouth faculty mentor, including faculty at the College as well as Geisel, Thayer, and Tuck. Students working on projects in groups may submit their own videos or may submit as a group. Students submitting as a group should designate one person to be the main contact for the competition.

Why would I want to enter the competition?

This is a great opportunity to communicate your research to the Dartmouth community. The video format allows you be creative in a way that you can't do in a written thesis, poster presentation, or formal talk. All you need to do is make a 2-3 minute video and submit it to the competition.

Plus, there are cash prizes! The grand prize is $1,000 and there will be up to six additional $250 prizes awarded for categories like "people's choice," "most creative video," and "coolest research project."

How do I get started? And what if I don't know much (or anything) about making a video?

JMC can help! JMC has a variety of resources such as audio/video equipment, studio space, and staff to answer questions. We also offer 'workshops on demand' and scheduled consultations to assist in answering your questions. There are no restrictions about how you make your video – you can talk to the camera, use props, incorporate animations, whatever you want to do in order to convey your research (and maybe the story behind it and why you did it).

Rules and Regulations

Submission is free, and the equipment necessary for the production can be checked out from JMC with a valid Dartmouth library card or ID. All costs incurred in production are the sole responsibility of the respective participants.
All submissions must be no longer than 3 minutes, inclusive of all title cards, credits, and the required "MAD Research Video Contest" bumper.
All projects must be a digital media project created in connection with research affiliated with Dartmouth.
Submissions must be able to be displayed or presented in JMC and other media outlets (yet to be determined by the judging committee).
All necessary rights from media subjects must be secured, and clearance for use of copyright-protected content used in the final product must also be secured and documented. Please see Jones’ resource guide for copyright-free music, images, and video.
Submissions must be original work of the team, must not infringe on third parties' rights, must be suitable for public screening, and cannot be obscene. They may not contain defamatory statements about any person, organization, or entity and may not invade privacy or other rights of any person, organization, or entity. Entries containing prohibited or inappropriate content as determined by the judging panel, at its sole discretion, will be disqualified.
Production must not break any federal, state, or local laws and must adhere to campus rules and policies.
Submissions will be released to JMC to show in JMC, on the Dartmouth Library YouTube channels, and otherwise at the discretion of JMC.

Resources

JMC Workshops

JMC offers ‘Workshops on Demand’. We can work with you and a group of friends (minimum of three) to develop a custom workshop to specifically meet your goals to create a media composition for the contest. Our staff can offer training in a variety of hardware such as video cameras, lighting, and audio recording, and software including iMovie, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Premiere Rush, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, InDesign, PowerPoint and more. To set up a Workshop on Demand send a detailed email to Jones.Media.Center@Dartmouth.edu.

Borrow JMC Equipment

JMC has an extensive equipment loan program. JMC has a wide range of video, audio, and photography equipment available for a 7-day check-out period. Professional equipment must be reserved at least 24 hours before the requested pick-up time. For more information, go to the Equipment Loan Page. If you're uncertain about what to get, set up a consultation with a JMC staff member by emailing Jones.Media.Center@Dartmouth.edu

Spaces

The Innovation Studio is a great space to use for presentations, on-camera interviews, simulations, and more. Visit JMC's Spaces page. Booking in advance is strongly encouraged.

Quick Reference Tutorials

JMC's quick reference tutorials provide step-by-step instructions for frequently asked technical questions. All tutorials are two pages or fewer and make editing, scanning, and importing tasks less time-consuming. Tutorials are available as PDF files on JMC's Quick Reference Tutorials page or as printed copies in JMC.

Submit Your Work

Before you submit your work please contact the Jones Media Center to obtain the MAD Research Video Contest video bumper. The bumper is required for all video submissions.

Submit your video here: M.A.D. Research Video Contest Submission Form 2024!

Submissions will be accepted until midnight December 15, 2024!

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact us at Jones.Media.Center@dartmouth.edu or call at 603-646-2165.