Submit your video and tell us why  YOU should be the one to introduce one of our Out Loud! Authors this summer: Sarah Vowell, Wally Lamb, or Elizabeth Berg.

Your video should make a compelling case for why you should be the one to introduce one of our three 2014 Out Loud! Series Authors—Sarah Vowell, Wally Lamb, and Elizabeth Berg. The Metro Library Network will select the best videos and post them on our Facebook page, where you can vote for your favorite. The top winner for each author will be invited to introduce their selected author at the Out Loud! Author Series this summer.

Contest Rules

• You must be a valid library card holder in the Metro Library Network (consisting of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries).
• Videos will be judged according to the following criteria: creativity, persuasiveness, speaking ability, and engagement.
• Your entry must obey all laws, including all applicable copyright and privacy laws. This also applies to any music samples used in your video.
• You agree to let the Metro Library Network place your entry on respective YouTube channels and Facebook pages, and use your video in its promotional and educational efforts.
• Your video should be no longer than three minutes. Videos longer than three minutes will be disqualified.
• Entries must be submitted by midnight on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, to be eligible. No extensions. Anything submitted after this day will not be considered.
• Entries may not contain commercial, sexually explicit, disparaging, or libelous content; promote any product or service; or contain any trademarks, copyrighted works (including music that is not within the public domain), or other intellectual property not owned by the submitter(s).
• The Metro Library Network reserves the right to reject or return for editing any video that doesn’t comply with these guidelines.

How to submit your video

You may submit your video one of two ways:

Online Submissions

1. Upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo.

2. Send an email to outloud@metrolibrarynetwork.org, including:

a. A link to your video
b. Your name and contact information (email and phone)

3. We will send you a confirmation email that we received your video within 24 hours.

Snail Mail or In-Person Submissions

1. Save your video to a CD, DVD, or flash drive

2. Put it in an envelope addressed to Cedar Rapids Public Library, ATTN: Out Loud! 450 5^th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52401. Inside the envelope, please include:

a. Your name
b. Your contact information (email and phone)

3. Submissions must be postmarked on or before June 11, 2014.

4. In-person submissions need to be delivered to the Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 5^th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52401, by 9:00 pm on June 11, 2014.

Contest Timeline

• Deadline for submitting videos: Midnight, Wednesday, June 11, 2014 (9:00 pm for in-person submissions)
• Metro Library Network selects finalists: June 12-15, 2014.
• Videos posted on the Metro Library Network’s Facebook page for popular voting: Monday, June 16, 2014 – Friday, June 20, 2014 at 4 pm.
• Winners contacted by June 22, 2014.

Judging

Entries will be reviewed for eligibility and compliance with the contest rules. A panel of judges drawn from within the Metro Library Network will judge the entries on the following criteria:

• Creativity: 30%
• Persuasiveness: 30%
• Speaking Ability: 30%
• Engagement: 10%

Questions? For more information, contact: Amber Mussman, Cedar Rapids Public Library, mussmana@crlibrary.org or (319) 261-READ.

Download the YouOutLoudFlyer.