Follow these steps to create your Eye on the Future Teen Video Contest entry for a chance to win $2,000 and a trip to the NIH campus.
1. Choose your video category
Science in your world
Being a scientist is simple—it’s really just following your curiosity about the world around you. The impact of science is everywhere: from brushing your teeth in the morning to the smartphone you plug in before you go to bed or the antibiotics you take when you’re sick. Teach us about a discovery that impacts your life or the ways you see science currently making a difference in it.
Science in action
Science is discovery in action! A scientist is not a person who memorizes facts in a science textbook. Rather, a scientist is someone who asks questions about the world and tests those questions through controlled experiments. And the best part is that research doesn’t need to be done in a lab! Show us some science in action by demonstrating an experiment.
Science in your future
The future is in your hands! Science will play an important role in finding solutions to the big challenges we all face. Science has already helped us in so many ways, from preventing disease to improving our daily life. Describe how science will affect the future or teach us about the way a current discovery will impact our future.
2. Read the rules
You can submit a video from January 13 to April 20, 2025.
Keep in mind:
- Submissions must come from students in grades 9–12, who are enrolled in a high school in the United States or its territories.
- Videos must be between thirty seconds and three minutes long (excluding credits).
- You can work on your own or team up with a couple of friends. If you’re working in a group, include up to three people and pick one person to be your group leader.
- Be sure to submit a signed video release (PDF, 138KB) and registration form (for an individual submission [PDF, 1.2MB] or a group submission [PDF, 1.2MB]) with your video.
3. Submit your video
After making your video, follow these steps to enter the contest:
Upload your video to YouTube and set the visibility to “unlisted.” Send the link to your video to 2020@nei.nih.gov along with the following required forms by April 20, 2025 11:59 p.m. ET:
- Video release (PDF, 138KB)
- The appropriate registration form (for individual submissions [PDF, 1.2MB] or group submissions [PDF, 1.2MB])
4. Get excited
The winning entry from each category will win $2,000 cash and get a free trip for the winner and a parent or guardian to visit the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, for a day of science, networking, and fun.
How to win
NIH judges will review all submissions to make sure they follow contest rules. They will then score each video using the following guidelines:
-
Scientific Context and Accuracy
The submission seeks to understand a scientific question and connects content to existing scientific knowledge.
-
Relevance
The submission clearly communicates why the topic is important and relevant to the category it is submitted in.
-
Engagement
The submission has a clear narrative, has a structure that is easy to follow, grabs the audiences' attention in a unique way, and maintains enthusiasm throughout the video.
-
Creativity
The submission approaches a problem in an innovative way, whether by proposing a unique solution or providing an insightful analysis and presenting information in an original way that is unique to the submitter.
Additionally, up to 2 points will be awarded for video submissions that are eye-health related.
A total of 50 points is possible.
You may reach out to Kiam Preston, Jr., a Ph.D. candidate at NIH, at kiam.preston@nih.gov for tips on creating your video, including how to communicate the science and how to edit the video. For any other contest questions, please email 2020@nei.nih.gov.