AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE

1. Participation is open to students grades 7 through 12.
2. Message must connect to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and be original, authored, composed, and performed by the student(s) identified on the registration form. Use of ChatGPT or anything similar is prohibited and will result in disqualification.
3. Contestants may perform solo or collaborate with a maximum of five peers (e.g., duo, trio).
4. Only one video may be entered into the contest per student/team.
5. Entries must be uploaded to YouTube for submission to the contest. 
6. Presentations are to be 3 to 5 minutes long and recorded in a format acceptable for uploading to YouTube. All entries must comply with YouTube’s terms of service. 
7. Video resolution needs to be HDTV resolution, 1080p (1920x1080 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio). Video must be in one of the following formats: AVI, WMB, MOV, or MP4 format (MP4 and MOV format preferred). No commercial content is permitted (music, video, animation). No professional (paid) assistance may be used in production of the entry. Any entry doing so may be disqualified.
8. Finalists are required to perform their message live and to submit an electronic copy (Word document) of their presentation prior to their performance. Failure to do so may disqualify the contestant, and the contestant with the next highest score will qualify to compete at the finals. 
9. Submission of an entry into the contest does not transfer ownership of any copyright in the entry to MLK Voice 4 Youth. 
10. Audio effects, accompaniment, costumes, and props are NOT permitted. Contestants should bring photo ID to all contest events.
11. Until the contest has concluded, your video/entry is not to be publicly shared online other than to place it on YouTube for submission to the contest. 
12. Prize money will be divided equally to the winner(s).
13. Past first-place winners of MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH are not eligible to compete.
14. Decisions of the judges are final.
15. The MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH Planning Committee reserves the right to limit the number of registrations from any one school or organization.

Registration opens Peace Day, September 21. Registration, YouTube video link and 

Parents’ Consent must be received by 5 PM on Thursday, December 14, 2023.

TO REGISTER

Complete the Entry/Release Form with the link to your YouTube video and Parents Consent Form.  Each student participating in the contest must complete both forms. 

YouTube Submission Process

· To record your presentation and upload your video on YouTube. 

• Set the video’s private setting to “unlisted.” ▪When you upload a video on YouTube, by default it is set as a public video, so change it into unlisted. “Unlisted" means that only people who know the link to the video can view it. Any video that is released to the public or set as private will not be considered for the competition. 

Follow these steps to successfully upload your video onto YouTube:

• Sign into your YouTube account & click upload button
• Select the video which you would like to upload; 
• Add a title (Video title) and brief description; 
• ▪Select unlisted from the YouTube privacy drop down; and click publish

Please ensure that your video is in accordance with the Google Terms of Service, Google Privacy Policy, and YouTube Terms of Service.

Your video entry must contain “MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH 2024” in the title of the video. The format for the title should be “MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH 2024 / Your Unique Video Title”.

Finalists will be notified by telephone by January 5, 2024. All finalists will be offered a one-on-one coaching session to prepare to present their piece in-person at the MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH 2024 Finals, Sunday, January 14, 2024, 2 PM at the baby grand, Wilmington, Delaware.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE:

• Bonus marks are given for referencing Dr. King’s lesser-known speeches and for memorization.
• Submission of an entry into the contest does not transfer ownership of any copyright in the entry to MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH. 
• Contestants have creative freedom. 

For additional information or questions about the contest contact Jane Rubini at 302-655-3379 or email info@mlkvoice4youth.org .