WINNERS
Grand Prize
The Pressure Paradox - Physics4Life
Second Place
Third Place
The Pendulum Rocket Fallacy in 59s - Atomic Frontier
Black Holes Are Bubbles of Light - ScienceClic
Other Finalists
Why Do Fluorescent Lights and Power Lines Buzz? - Alexis Dahl
The OTHER Boundary Around a Black Hole - Parth G
Why you can expect to live past your life expectancy - Sabine Hossenfelder
Simpson’s Paradox in Vaccination data - Michael Tan
Generate electricity by punching wood - Sam Zeloof
How roofs blow off houses - Gus Gordon
How do Nerve Signals work? A Mechanical Model - sci_bastian
Description
Welcome to the Veritasium Science Communication contest! I recently won a $10,000 bet with a UCLA physics professor over a wind-powered car (here’s the video). Now, the team and I have decided to pass the $10,000 on by holding a contest to highlight science communicators.
What you need to do to enter is create a science communication video that is one minute or less in length, and post it on YouTube or TikTok with the hashtag #VeritasiumContest. You will also need to include your email address in the video description or clearly on your profile, so we can contact you if you’ve won. You must be subscribed to Veritasium on YouTube or following Veritasium on TikTok. We are looking for videos that clearly and creatively explain complex or counterintuitive concepts in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
There are cash prizes for this competition—with first place receiving $5,000, second place receiving $3,000, and third place receiving $2,000.
Timeline
The contest has finished. Check out our finalists above, and we will announce the winners on September 15!
The team and I will look through at least 100 eligible videos with the most likes on TikTok and at least 100 eligible videos with the most views on YouTube to select our top 3. The winners will be chosen and notified by September 15, 2021.
Eligibility
Anyone of any age can enter from any location in the world. Videos must be in English or contain English subtitles. The account you use to upload your videos must be subscribed to Veritasium (on YouTube) or following Veritasium (on TikTok). You must comply with all the terms of service on the platform where you post the video.
Requirements
Videos must be one minute in length or less. Videos must be posted on YouTube or TikTok, and they may be horizontal or vertical. Videos must include the hashtag #VeritasiumContest in the description to be considered. Your email address must be in the video description or clearly displayed on your profile so we can contact you if you’ve won.
Selection
The Veritasium team will look through at least the 100 most liked videos on TikTok and at least the 100 most viewed videos on YouTube, then decide on our top 3 overall. What we’re looking for is high quality science communication—it doesn’t matter if it’s just talking to camera, an animation, an experiment, or anything else. If it’s high quality, crafted with care, love, and attention to detail, we will like it. We are specifically looking for people who can explain difficult concepts in a clear and creative way. Captivate us, teach us, surprise us.
FAQ
How will I know if I won?
We will email you from a @veritasium.com email account with video proof of our identity and your name—if you receive any communications about the contest from a different email, or are unsure at all of an email’s authenticity, please do not reply and instead contact emily@veritasium.com to confirm. You must have an email listed in the video description or clearly on your profile for us to be able to contact you. If you’ve won, you will be notified between August 31 - September 15, 2021.I live in [insert country here]. Can I still enter?
Yes. The need for great science communication is global, and this contest is open to anyone from around the world. Note that your video must either be in English or contain English subtitles.I am already a professional science communicator. Can I still enter?
Yes—anyone is eligible to enter.I am a part of a team. Can we enter together?
Yes, but please use only one YouTube or TikTok account to post your video(s). This account will be treated as an individual entrant.I don’t have a nice camera. Can I film on my phone?
Yes. Good science communication is more important than any technical limitations.Can I submit multiple videos?
Yes.Can I use other hashtags and promote my video in other ways?
Yes.May I post my video to both YouTube and TikTok?
Yes.I didn’t get many views on my video. Can I try reposting it?
Yes, but please keep only one copy of your video live at any given time.Why Does the number of likes or views matter?
This contest is not being decided by likes or views—we will be making the final selection. However, we are a small team and need a built-in mechanism to limit the number of YouTube videos and TikToks we end up judging. While likes and views are how we will narrow down at least the top 100 videos on each platform to watch, we will still be watching a wide pool of at least 200 total videos and the top 3 videos will ultimately be selected by our own judgment. (What are we looking for? Check under “Selection”.)Being a good science communicator means not only teaching science well, but also selecting interesting topics people will want to learn about and finding ways to package videos to get them watched. This is a big part of our own work on our YouTube channel! Write a strong hook, share widely, encourage friends and family to watch, and most of all, do good science communication. Plus, you don't need to make the most-viewed video by any means—just crack the top 200. (If we receive around 200 submissions or less, great, every single one will be watched!) From there, we will be personally judging at least these 200 videos in order to select the one that does science communication best.