Yukon and northern B.C. residents in the Northwestel service area are invited to enter the first-ever Northwestel Community Cable 9 video contest. Entries must be submitted by August 31^st.

 

The winning grand prize winners will receive a $2500.00 Meadia Solutions MacBook gift certificate and four runners-up will win $250.00 gift certificates to The Source. In addition, up to five $50.00 Meadia Solutions gift certificates may be awarded to the makers of videos selected for an Honourable Mention.

 

Beginning on September 1^st, all eligible entries will be broadcast on Community Cable 9 in Whitehorse and via the Northwestel Digital Cable Video-On-Demand platform. Viewers can then vote for their favourite entries via email.

 

“We know that we have a very active and dedicated film-making community in the North,” said Curtis Shaw, Northwestel Vice President of Consumer Markets. “We are hoping that northern film-makers will view this contest as a great new opportunity to have their work seen by other northerners via Northwestel’s Community Cable 9 and Video-On-Demand. Northwestel is certainly very excited to showcase films created in the North. It’s a great new venue for northerners to tell stories to other northerners.”

 

The winners will be selected partially on audience voting and partially on scoring by a panel of independent judges. The judges will award scores based on overall concept development and production quality, including camera technique, lighting, sound and post-production.

 

Entries must be no more than 15 minutes in length and must meet Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission broadcast standards for appropriate content.

 

The four runner-up prizes will be awarded in four categories:

 

 

The Grand Prize winner may be a film that fits into any of the above categories.

 

Northwestel will announce the winners of the competition in October. The prizes, which are partially sponsored by Meadia Solutions and The Source, will be awarded at a special viewing event in Whitehorse.

 

Detailed information about the competition is available at www.nwtel.ca/communitytv.

 

Last year, Northwestel upgraded its broadcast software and hardware for its community channels, which has resulted in an improved layout and look, and more design and content options. The channels now have extensive enhanced bulletin boards available to all non-profit and government groups to post messages and information about events, programs, workshops and more.

 

Northwestel provides complete telecommunications solutions and entertainment services in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, northern British Columbia and High Level, Alberta. The company’s operations span nearly 4 million square kilometres of the most remote and rugged areas of Canada.