MyView Youth Film Festival Celebrating 10th Anniversary This Year!

Deadline to Submit Your Videos is May 1, 2025

Eastern Ontario – The MyView Youth Film Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and you have until May 1st, 202,5 to submit your videos.

Kemptville’s McGahey Insurance and Grenville Mutual Insurance have again teamed up to provide the $1000 grand prize for the 10th Annual MyView Youth Film Festival.

Young people are encouraged to pick up their phones or cameras and make a short video that celebrates something in their life or community, shows a solution to a problem or showcases their opinion. Submissions are now open, and the deadline to submit your videos is May 1, 2025.

This creative filmmaking contest is open to all youth ages 10-24 who live, work or play in eastern Ontario (see www.myviewfilmfest.ca for a list of eligible counties). MyView is eager to collaborate again with the YMCA of Eastern Ontario in the planning, promotion and sponsorship of this great community engagement initiative.

In addition to the grand prize, there is also a $750 “I Love My Community” prize sponsored by EXIT Realty Eastern Ontario, a $500 YMCA of Eastern Ontario prize and a $500 prize for best original song and music video sponsored by Jamming Around Man Productions. New this year is a “Best of the Fest” prize chosen by the public from the grand prize-winning films of the nine previous MyView festivals.

Also new is a partnership with the Ontario Youth Film Festival. Winners and nominees in the 14-17-year-old age category can move forward to compete in that exciting provincial festival that takes place in the fall.

Young people are encouraged to pick up their phones or cameras and make a short video that celebrates something in their life or community, shows a solution to a problem or showcases their opinion!

Thanks to McGahey Insurance, Grenville Mutual Insurance, Exit Realty, YMCA of Eastern Ontario, J.A.M. Productions and YourTV for donating great prizes to the winners in the following categories:

Best Overall Video – $1000
I Love My Community – $750
Best Original Song & Music Video – $500
YMCA Award – $500
Age Category Prizes (10-13; 14-17; 18-24)
New Best of the Fest 10 Year Anniversary Award

The deadline for video submission is May 1st, and youth can submit multiple films individually or as a group.

Encourage young people you know to get out into their communities to look for inspiration. There is no shortage of interesting topics to explore. Past winners have addressed a variety of topics from mental well-being and body image to the cost of post-secondary education and everything in between. Wendy Embleton from Exit Realty had this to say about the I Love My Community category, “Parents may get to choose their hometown, but it is wonderful when young people highlight how they appreciate their community. We look forward to seeing the entries for 2025!”

Judging criteria heavily favour the content of the videos over the production elements, in hopes of encouraging all eligible youth, regardless of their level of experience in film-making and production, to participate and share their stories.

For more information on contest rules or judging criteria, or to see past year’s submissions and winners, visit their socials @myviewfilmfest, check out www.myviewfilmfest.ca or email info@myviewfilmfest.ca