Junior Filmmakers Need Your Vote

Santa Barbara County high school students have been put to the challenge of creating specialized video content for the 23rd Annual Waterwise High School Video Contest, part of the Santa Barbara County Water Agency’s efforts to conserve water.

This year’s theme is “Be Water Wise in Your Garden,” and students rushed to splice together their own videos for a chance at winning the “People’s Choice Award.” Seventeen videos were submitted by 41 students from five different high schools in the area, including Bishop Garcia Diego, Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley, and Orcutt Academy.

From comedy skits, voiceovers, stop-motion animation, and even a little cartoon gopher speaking about ways to save water, these high school students put their all into creating these 30-second videos.

Now it’s the public’s turn to vote for their favorite.

“Santa Barbara County high school students always put a lot of effort into making creative videos,” County Water Agency Manager Matt Young said. “We encourage everyone to support them by watching and voting.”

Anyone with a YouTube or Gmail account can vote by “Liking” their favorite video(s) on YouTube here. All votes must be submitted before 5 p.m. Monday, April 18.

In addition to the “People’s Choice Award,” other prizes are up for grabs ranging up to $1,000 to the winning school — and $500 to students — for first, second, and third place, as well as prizes for the Spanish-language category and honorable mentions. Students on the winning teams also receive their own cash prizes that come from donations from generous sponsors, such as Carollo Engineers, La Buena 105.1 FM, Geosyntec Consultants, Ewing Irrigation, and Dudek. 

The contest is funded by the Network of Santa Barbara County Water Providers and the Santa Barbara County Water Agency, all in an effort to maximize water efficiency and awareness.

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