Congratulations to the Winner and Runner-Up of the 8th Annual Evolution Film Festival!

The 8th Annual Evolution Film Festival/Video Contest was held on Saturday, June 22nd, 2019 at the Evolution Conference in Providence, RI. Over 200 people attended, enjoyed our 15 finalists and voted on their favorite.

The winning video was “How to Make Humans Sick”. It was submitted by Noah Resnick of Arbor Vitae Animations. View it here. He will receive $1,000 and this trophy (aka “The Chucky”).

The runner up was high school student Josh Mott of Largo, FL, who submitted “Josh’s Evolution Exploration” (view it here). Josh was the only high school student to submit a video this year, and as the Runner-Up he receives $500 (which he can add to his college fund and hopefully go on to get a degree in Evolutionary Biology!)

Prize money is courtesy of the Society for the Study of Evolution. We thank them and this year’s other sponsors: American Society of Naturalists, BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, and the Society of Systematic Biologists.

And, a HUGE thank you to everyone who submitted a video this year…they were all wonderful! Start working on your video for next year!

Learn more about the history of the Evolution Film Festival

Read a blog post from the SSE (Society for the Study of Evolution) Community Blog about how the Evolution Film Festival came to be, and how it has evolved (sorry!) over the years.

Enter the 8th Annual Evolution Video Contest!

Application deadline: Friday, May 31st, 2019 (11:59 PM, EST)

After a one-year hiatus, the Evolution Video Contest/Film Festival is back!

We took a year off last year, but are excited to bring the Evolution Video Contest/Film Festival back to this year’s Evolution Conference. So start working on your video now because the deadline to submit is May 31st!

As in past years, this year’s Evolution Film Festival/Video Contest is being sponsored by the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) and the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.

The rules are simple: we invite scientists and science educators (students, postdocs, faculty, and full- or part-time science communicators) to make a 3-minute-or-less video telling an interesting evolution story in a fun, creative way. The finalists will be screened at the Evolution 2019 conference, which is being held in Providence, RI from June 21-25, 2019.

For all the details, please click the “How to Submit” link at the top of this page. To enter your video, please complete our online registration form. You do not need to attend the conference in order to submit a video, and you do not need to be present to win!

The Evolution Film Festival is always one of the highlights of the Evolution conference. We hope you will consider submitting your own video this year. Even if you don’t, if you’re going to be at the Evolution 2019 conference in Providence, please plan to attend the Film Festival on Saturday, June 22nd from 7:30 – 9:00 PM, view all the terrific submissions and vote on your favorite!

For questions, contact Jory Weintraub (jory@duke.edu)

Congrats to the 2017 Winner and Runner-Up!

The 7th Annual Evolution Film Festival was held at the Evolution 2017 Conference in Portland, OR on Sunday, June 25th. This year, we had 45 submissions and screened 14 finalists. The audience voted and the winner was “Milkweed vs. Monarchs: The Evolutionary Arms Race”, submitted by Sara Dykman:

What makes her entry particularly noteworthy is that she wrote, filmed, edited and submitted it while on a 3,000-mile bike ride from Mexico to Canada to follow Monarch butterfly migration. You can read more about that adventure here.

As winner of this year’s Evolution Film Festival, Sara will receive the $1,000 First Place Prize (courtesy of the Society for the Study of Evolution), and this fabulous 1st Place Trophy (which she undoubtedly plans to mount on her handlebars to keep her company as she finishes her journey to Canada).

Congrats, also, to this year’s Runner-Up: “The Friar and the Pea: The Life and Legacy of Gregor Mendel“, submitted by Eric and Alicia Power of PowerUp Animations. As runners-up, they receive $500 from SSE.

Thanks to all who submitted videos this year, all who attended the event and voted in Portland, and to our sponsors: Duke Initiative for Science & Society, HHMI BioInteractive, Society for the Study of Evolution and the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.

Call for Submissions: Seventh Annual Evolution Film Festival/Video Contest!

Application deadline: Friday, June 2nd, 2017 (11:59 PM, EST)

Submit your best evolution-themed video for screening at this year’s Evolution meeting!

This year’s Evolution Film Festival/Video Contest is being sponsored by the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) and the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.

We once again invite scientists and science educators (students, postdocs, faculty, and full- or part-time science communicators) to enter our annual Evolution Video Competition. The finalists will be screened at the Evolution 2017 conference, which is being held in Portland, OR from June 23-27, 2017.

The Evolution Film Festival is always one of the highlights of the Evolution conference. We hope you will consider submitting your own video this year. Even if you don’t, if you’re going to be at the Evolution 2017 conference in Portland, please plan to attend the Film Festival on Sunday, June 25 from 7:30 – 9:30 PM in Room A107-109, view all the terrific submissions and vote on your favorite!

For questions, contact Jory Weintraub (jory@duke.edu)

Congrats to the 2016 Evolution Film Festival Winner and Runner-Up!

The 2016 Evolution Film Festival received over 50 entries. 13 finalists were selected and screened, the audience voted, and the winner was “Pygids“, submitted by Matt Wilkins and Tyler Corey, from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Congratulations! Matt and Tyler received a $1,000 prize, and posed for a picture with their “Chuckie” trophy:

tyler-matt-w-chucky-award-2016

This year’s runner-up was “Ape“, submitted by Eustace Ng and Anita Yen, of Sheridan College. They receive a $500 prize.

All 13 entries can be viewed on the 2016 Entries page.

Congrats to them, and thanks to all who submitted videos!

Start working on your submission for this year’s contest, and we’ll see you at the Seventh Annual Evolution Film Festival in Portland, OR!

Call for Entries: Sixth Annual Evolution Video Contest

Application deadline: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 (11:00 PM, EST)

Submit your best evolution-themed video for screening at this year’s Evolution meeting!

We once again invite scientists and science educators (students, postdocs, faculty, and full- or part-time science communicators) to enter our annual Evolution Video Competition. The finalists will be screened at the Evolution 2016 conference, which is being held in Austin, TX from June 17-21, 2016.

The Evolution Film Festival is always one of the highlights of the Evolution conference. We hope you will consider submitting your own video this year. Even if you don’t, if you’re going to be at the Evolution 2016 conference in Austin, please plan to attend the Film Festival on Sunday night (June 19th), view all the terrific submissions and vote on your favorite!

For questions, contact Jory Weintraub (jory@duke.edu)