Call for More Non-Profits to Join as Sponsoring Partners

By Laurie Casey

Each year, the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest receives amazing short film entries from all across the U.S. The submissions are rolling in ahead of the January 5 deadline, and we are preparing to evaluate them. In 2022, we are excited to announce a new prize level—“The Environmental Activism Prize”—to elevate both the young filmmakers and the organizations on the frontlines of climate change activism.

“The new awards are an extension of our mission of connecting filmmakers to those who are working to make change, much like we do with our matching grant awards,” says Sue Crothers, Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest.

Environmental Activism Prize-winning films will be licensed by sponsoring non-profit organizations for one year to be used for fundraising and marketing purposes. The sponsoring organizations provide the $500 cash prizes (plus a nominal $50 administrative fee) to fund the program. It’s win-win all around.

“In this new program, we can connect our young filmmakers with nonprofit organizations whose missions are focused on the topics of their films. At the same time, these winning films can help promote those organizations that are on the front lines, doing the work,” says Crothers. “This collaboration will elevate the voices of young filmmakers, and, at the same time, their films can help bring attention to the nonprofits.”

During the 2021 contest year, we piloted this concept with a $400 Wild Ones Environmental Sponsorship Award. Wild Ones is a native gardening education organization, and they were thrilled to sponsor an award for high school student Lena Song’s “A Home for Us All,” a film about planting native gardens in urban areas. It was a perfect match between message and mission. Wild Ones posted the film on their website, discussed it in their newsletter, and interviewed Lena in a YouTube video and promoted that on social media.

For the 2022 contest year, five organizations have already signed up to consider films for prizes: Food & Water Watch, Green America, Sierra Club, Environmental Law & Policy Center and The Jane Goodall Institute. At the beginning of January, these organizations will have an opportunity to consider films that might fit their mission and messaging goals. If they select a film to sponsor, they may use the film on their website, for fundraising activities, or other promotional purposes in line with their mission for one year. During this time, they’ll be elevating a young filmmaker and offering them the opportunity for their film to be seen by a wide audience. Considering that creating a one-minute film can cost more than $3,000, getting one for $550 is a bargain.

One Earth is happy to invite additional nonprofit organizations to sponsor Environmental Activism Prizes. “We will send you a film, and if you decide that it’s a good film for your mission, then your organization sponsors the film,” says Crothers. “But there’s no obligation. It’s all about partnering. We want to elevate the issues around the climate crisis together. The more partners we have, the more ability we have to honor more films.”

In addition to the use of the film, the sponsoring nonprofit organization will have the opportunity to present the award to the student in front of an audience during the One Earth Film Festival March 4-13. The nonprofit also gets an invitation to our festival launch party on March 4, plus other benefits. In future years, there will likely be additional opportunities for recognition and interaction with the student filmmaker.

If sponsoring an Environmental Activism Prize sounds like something your organization would be interested in supporting, please contact Sue Crothers at Sue@oneearthfilmfest.org