SMIBE

CONCEPT

With its first annual competition, SMIBE brings together a growing body of moving image stories about the built environment. We hope the competition will become a forum for the exchange and discussion of persuasive issues about the built environment. For this competition, SMIBE welcomes moving image stories that investigate, explore, and entertain our communities about social, environmental, political, technological, and economic issues that designers of the built world should be discussing. What are issues that we should be addressing in our built world?

To answer this question, SMIBE turns to our talented community of professionals, college and university students from architecture, landscape, urban design, art, industrial design, interior design, motion graphics and film to offer a challenge: produce an engaging and entertaining moving image story that illustrates the theme of “Story About a Place.” We look for stories that reveal new sides or issues about a place told by memorable characters. Above all, we look for groundbreaking work that blends rigorous craft with intelligent storytelling. Submissions should not exceed 6 minutes in duration and can be produced in any motion image medium.

Five general category and five student category submissions will be chosen as Finalists by a panel of prestigious judges invited by SMIBE. Subsequently, these judges will select two of the ten finalists, one general category finalist and one student category finalist, to be awarded a Grand Prize of $500 each and a unique SMIBE trophy. In addition, the top ten finalists will have their videos screened at the MAK Center in Los Angeles and at the Grand Central Arts Center in Santa Ana, as well as on the SMIBE.org web site.

In support of the challenge, once submissions are publicly showcased on the SMIBE.org website contestants will be asked to share information about their submissions and themselves. There will also be an online forum for audiences to discuss the presented work. We hope this sharing of work will inspire us as much as the challenge itself.

TIMING

Contestants may submit entries on SMIBE beginning November 15, 2008, and ending January 25, 2009. All entries must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on January 25, 2009.

HOW TO ENTER

**A number of entrants have advised us that they are having trouble uploading to the REVVER site. In order to correct this problem we are extending the competition deadline to JANUARY 25th, and are allowing entrants to submit films using YOUTUBE. All other rules still apply. Submit films using the user name SMIBE followed by an eight digit number.

To submit your film send an email to info(at)smibe.org with the following information (in this order):

1. Registration number ( SMIBE followed by a random eight digit registration number, for example SMIBE92616347*.) Use this registration number as the email subject line. You need to make up your own registration/username number, the number sequence is up to you just follow the SMIBE8digitnumber format. *We made a correction - you do not need to include an undescore between SMIBE and your 8 digit number.
2. Write if this is a Student Entry or General Category Entry.
3. Paste the url link to your Revver (or YOUTUBE) uploaded film (see RULES section for additional information on how to upload your film.) Your Revver username must be the same as your registration number (Example: SMIBE92616347)
4. A 50 word blurb describing your film.
5. Your First and Last Name.
6. Your University/College name and class year (only required for student entries.)
7. Your contact information: address, phone number, and email address.

Your name and personal information will be kept confidential until after the winning entries are selected.
Your address, phone number and email address will never be published or sold.

PRIZES

Ten Finalist Prizes
Each finalist will receive (1) SMIBE trophy and will be publicly screened and published by SMIBE, including:

1. Featured on SMIBE
2. Available to download
3. Screenings at several venues including the MAK Center and Grand Central Art Center
4. DVD publication

Grand Prize Winners
Judges will select one general category finalist and one student category finalist, each will be awarded $500 (USD). In addition to winning $500 (USD) the Grand Prize winning submissions will be publicly screened and published by SMIBE.

RULES

1. Contestants must meet terms of eligibility.
2. There is no fee to enter a submission.
3. All General Category submissions must be independently produced, original works.
4. Student submissions may have been created for a college or university course.
5. The work may contain any combination of video, motion graphics, animation, visual effects, sound and music.
6. Submissions may NOT be longer than 6 minutes in duration. They may be shorter than 6 minutes.
7. Contestants must use Revver OR YOUTUBE to post their work; this site has posting instructions such as max file size (100MB) and media type.
8. During the registration process the contestant must submit a 50 word blurb about their submission to be posted on Revver or YOUTUBE
9. Contestants should post their work using a username in this format: SMIBE(followed by an 8 digit non-sequential number) Example: SMIBE92616347
10. If invited to be a Finalist, each entrant(s) must submit a non-authored DVD with his or her submission in QuickTime format.
11. File dimensions should be 720×480 (16:9) or 640×480 (4:3).
12. Submissions containing copyrighted material, video, or sound are subject to disqualification and removal from the SMIBE website.
13. Contestants may submit more than one work.
14. Teams are allowed to enter a submission, but each submission must be accompanied by a primary contact that meets the eligibility criteria. Individuals may submit entries as individuals and/or as part of a team.
15. Submissions may not be updated or modified.
16. Entries that contain any content that is pornographic in nature, lewd, or sexually explicit will be disqualified.
17. SMIBE reserves the right to disqualify or remove any submissions it deems in violation of the Rules or Terms & Conditions of the Challenge.
18. The Jury shall have full freedom to decide on the Awards and Citations. The Jury decision shall be final and binding on all Entrants.
19. The Competition Registrar reserves the right to not award any prize in a given category where the Jurors agree that submissions are of insufficient quality.

JUDGING

Grand Prize Selection
Once the submission period is completed, SMIBE will manage a vetting/selection process to narrow the review group to 30 entries to be given to the judges’ panel. The judges will then score each of those entries and through tabulation, the top 5 general entrants and top 5 student entrants will advance as Finalists. Finalists will be submitted to the final selection jury who will select the Grand Prize winners.

Submissions will be judged on:

1. Originality of story
2. Effectiveness in expressing the “Story about a Place” theme
3. Quality of execution
4. Ability to blend rigorous craft with intelligent storytelling

ELIGIBILITY

The challenge is open to all professionals, and college and university students worldwide, 18 years or older. Teams are allowed to enter a submission, but each submission must be accompanied by a primary contact that meets the eligibility criteria. Individuals may submit entries as individuals and/or as part of a team.

COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP

By submitting an entry by a sole creator to a category, Contestant warrants that Contestant is the sole designer, creator, and owner of the artwork, including all visual and auditory components, or has permission to use copyrighted components, and further warrants that the artwork does not contain information considered by Contestant’s place of business, university, college or any other third party to be confidential. By submitting an entry by a group of creators, the contestants warrant that they jointly designed, created, and own the visual and auditory artwork or have permission to use copyrighted components, and further warrant that the artwork does not contain information considered by contestants’ place of business, university, college or any other third party to be confidential.

WINNER NOTIFICATION AND VERIFICATION

The Grand Prize winners along with the Finalists will be announced on February 28, 2008 on SMIBE

Student Category winners are subject to verification of enrollment status, age, and any other eligibility requirements as of November 1, 2008. Grand Prize winners shall provide SMIBE with an invoice in the amount of the prize(s). Winners shall also be responsible for any taxes, fees and local tariffs, as applicable.

FAQ

Can multiple people team up to make a submission?
Yes, multiple people can create and submit a joint work. One member of that group must supply their contact information at registration time in order to act as the group’s primary contact.

Is there a fee to enter?
There is no fee to submit work in the competition.

Can I submit more than one work?
Yes, each person or team of people can submit more than one work.

I already submitted my work, but forgot to include something in it, can I update the video?
No. Unfortunately, once a work has been submitted, it cannot be updated or revised. Since it would be unfair to allow people to alter their work according to community feedback. Once it has been posted, it’s posted.

What file formats are accepted?
All works will be submitted via Revver OR YOUTUBE . Simply upload your work  and then supply SMIBE the associated embed tags (or “snag code”) in the submission process. Contestants should use the SMIBE username format: SMIBE(8 digit non-sequential number) Example: SMIBE92616347

What should the file dimensions be?
720×480 or 640×480 is acceptable. Follow uploading instructions at Revver or YOUTUBE.

What’s the maximum duration that a work can be?
The maximum duration allowed for any work is six (6) minutes.

What’s the minimum duration that a work can be?
There is no minimum regarding the duration of a work.

What medium can I use to create my video?
Any combination of moving image media is acceptable.

Can the work be dynamic or deploy randomization at runtime?
No, the work must be static in the sense that all of the imagery has been created and will not change each time the work is viewed.

Can the work be interactive (require or be enhanced by user input)?
No, the work cannot contain any elements of user interactivity such as buttons, text fields, or mouse events.

JURY (Partial List)

Lita Albuquerque, Artist
Christopher Aykanian, Atypical Studio, Landscape Architect
Juan Azulay, Mattter Management and SCI-Arc
Johanna Blackley, Deputy Director of the Norman Lear Center
Frank Clementi, Principal Rios Clementi Hale Studios
April Greiman, Designer and Director of Made in Space
Paul Petrunia, Founder and Director Archinect
Mike McGee, Gallery Director CSU Fullerton and Grand Central Art Center
Kimberly Meyer, Director MAK Center

SPONSORS

Archinect
Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design
Economic Research Associates
Grand Central Art Center
The Next American City
MAK Center
Rios Clementi Hale

If you have questions please email info(at)smibe.org.