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YXC 2025: Contest

YXC VIDEO CONTEST

The Youth Xchange Statewide Student Video Competition is a premier statewide event open to all students—elementary, middle/intermediate, high school, and college. This competition empowers youth to create, produce, and promote awareness of critical community issues through video content, bringing these important topics to the forefront.

MEDIA TEACHER AWARD

Aloha students, parents, family, and friends,
Mahalo for acknowledging a hard-working teacher that you know for this year’s YXC Media Teacher Award. All Hawaiʻi-based teachers with entries in this year’s YXC Competition are automatically entered. Cast your vote below by submitting a message on how your teacher positively impacted your learning/life. Closes on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 11:00 PM, HST. The teacher with the most impactful stories wins and will be recognized on this year’s LIVE broadcast of the Youth Xchange Awards.
Mahalo for participating and best of luck to your teacher!
VOTE HERE

Submissions are now complete.

ENTRY FORM RULES AND GUIDELINES
JUDGING RUBRIC FAQs

GENERAL CATEGORY

SHORT

PSA

JUNIOR EXPERT

EXPERT

(10 minutes)

All Grades (K to 12)

(30 seconds)

All Grades (K to 12)

(10 minutes max)

Kindergarten to Middle School

(10 minutes max)

High school and College students

Short or mini-documentary in-depth program of an event, issue, place, individual or group (5 minutes minimum, 10 minutes maximum) Public Service Announcement (PSA): Informative but concise video about an issue. (30 sec. max., credits do not count as part of the 30 sec. message) Students kindergarten to middle school with extensive video production skills can compete in this category that recognizes technical expertise using video. Youth Xchange winners who have won two or more times, students who have worked (for hire) professionally creating video, and/or students participating in or receiving help from other students in an advance video or digital media program must enter this category. High school and college students with extensive video production skills can compete in this category that recognizes technical expertise using video. Youth Xchange winners who have won two or more times, students who have worked (for hire) professionally creating video, and/or students participating in or receiving help from other students in an advance video or digital media program must enter this category.

SPONSORED CATEGORIES

The generosity of our Category Sponsors enables ‘Ōlelo to host Hawai’i’s largest statewide video competition annually by offsetting expenses involved in prizes and giveaways for student winners and finalists and/or providing the category topics in which student entrants compete.

Creating Peace

(5 minutes max)

Champion Civic Action

(3 minutes max)

Improving Testing for All Students

(1  to 2 minutes)

Year of Our Community Forests

(1 to 3 minutes)

Mo’ Veggies, Mo’ Bettah

(1 to 2 minutes max)

Show Me Your Preparedness Superpowers!

(45 to 90 seconds)

American Judicature Society Logo Hawaii Dept of Education Logo Dept of Forestry Logo Hawaii State Department of Health Prepare Now Logo
Sponsored by Rotary Club of Honolulu Sponsored by American Judicature Society and PACE Commission Sponsored by Hawai‘i Department of Health, Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Division Sponsored by Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, Office of Public Health Preparedness
Show us how you can cultivate peace within yourself, your family, your community, and the world! Demonstrate how peaceful problem-solving can become a way of life—whether at home, in school, or within your neighborhood. Inspire a movement where conflict turns into collaboration, and your vision for a more harmonious world takes shape, starting with small actions that grow into lasting change. Civic action involves efforts by individuals or groups to support the common good. It goes beyond voting to include activities like volunteering, advocacy, and charitable giving, all of which help strengthen communities. The challenge: (1) pick a civic action; (2) highlight a person or organization involved in it; and (3) explain why this action is important. Feel free to get creative—civic action is everywhere!
Share creative ideas on making testing a better experience. Students are asked to address key aspects such as communication about testing, strategies to manage test anxiety, the importance of a growth mindset, and how testing can offer more choice and better reflect student abilities. The goal is to propose positive, solution-focused ideas that highlights how testing can be improved for everyone.
In 2025, we’re celebrating community forests—the trees where we live, learn, and play. Students are invited to create videos showcasing trees or forests important to them, exploring their community contributions, benefits, or cultural significance in Hawaiʻi. Share your story and show how community forests root us in place!
Show us how you power your brain and body with nutritious foods like fruits and veggies. Whether it’s cooking with family, eating fruits and veggies at school, gathering produce from a garden, shopping with family, or visiting local farmers’ markets, we want to see how you make healthy choices every day. Show us your preparedness superpowers! In this category, students are invited to demonstrate how to stay ready for emergencies, from packing essentials to organizing plans and prioritizing wellness. Hawai‘i faces various threats like hurricanes, wildfires, and tsunamis, and by using your superhero skills, you can help your family and community stay strong and recover from disasters.
For more information on category theme and requirements:

Download Flyer

For more info on category theme and requirements:

Download Flyer

For more info on category theme and requirements:

Download Flyer

For more info on category theme and requirements:

Download Flyer

For more information on theme and requirements:

Download Flyer

For more information on category theme and requirements:

Download Flyer