This week, every primary and secondary school on the island of Ireland is invited by NUI Galway to take part in the ReelLIFE SCIENCE 2015 Schools Video Competition. We’re sending out 5,000 posters to schools, challenging teachers and students to make a fun and informative 3 minute video communicating one of this year’s topics.
Supported by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover programme and the CÚRAM Centre for Research in Medical Devices, we will award €3,000 directly to the winning schools for science promotion.
Winning videos will selected by a panel of very Special Guest Judges, including Canadian Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield, Trinity College Dublin Professor of Molecular Evolution, Aoife McLysaght and 2015 BT Young Scientist and Technologists of the Year, Ian O’Sullivan and Eimear Murphy.
Speaking ahead of the competition, Commander Hadfield told us: “I am very much looking forward to seeing the science videos that Irish students will be making! Discovery and creativity, turned loose by imagination. A great project that I am proud to be a part of.”
Primary school students and teachers can choose from these topics: ‘Design Your Future‘; ‘Science in Space‘; ‘The Soil is Alive!‘; ‘Water is Life‘; and ‘Your Health is Your Wealth‘. The Secondary school topics are: ‘Evolution – Our Story‘; ‘Heroines of Science‘; ‘Incredible Life‘; ‘Light‘; and ‘Smart Medical Devices‘ (in partnership with CÚRAM).
Your videos must reach us by Friday October 16th via our Application Form and the winners will be announced on November 9th during Science Week 2015, when they will also be invited to attend a public screening and awards ceremony during the Galway Science and Technology Festival on 22 November.
ReelLIFE SCIENCE has been running since 2013 and videos submitted to us, made with cameras, tablets and smartphones, have tens of thousands of views in over 100 countries. Last year, we received hundreds of short videos from thousands of students in 24 counties around Ireland, in both English and Irish.
A Special Guest Judge in 2014, Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin remarked: “I was astounded by the calibre of the videos from both the primary and secondary schools. It is wonderful to see the thought, preparation, fun, and learning that went into all of the videos and it is very encouraging to see students enjoying and communicating science.”
The 2014 primary school category winners were Sooey National School, Co. Sligo, with Leaving Certificate student Julien Torrades from Summerhill College, Sligo taking first place at secondary school level. Each school received €1000 for their school science programme, while a further €1250 was awarded to 5 more schools in Donegal, Kerry and Dublin. Previous year’s videos can be viewed here.
For help making your video, check out our Teachers’ Guide, FAQs and Terms and Conditions. You can download our competition poster for your classroom by clicking on the poster above.
We hope you have fun researching your topic and making your videos and wish you the best of luck in the competition!
ReelLIFE SCIENCE 