The Sisters of Mercy are now accepting entries for their Annual Social Justice Video Contest. This year’s contest is aimed at evaluating social changes with values that the Sisters of Mercy prioritize.

The contest is designed for participants to have an engaging experience with the Sisters of Mer-cy’s Critical Concerns. The Critical Concerns include racism, immigration, earth, non-violence and women. The videos will hopefully also help educate others on the Sisters’ values. Anybody involved with a Mer-cy-affiliated ministry has the opportunity to enter the contest.

The Sisters are asking participants to create videos sharing the stories of the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy applied to current events that have been especially relevant in the past year.. The winner of the contest will win $500 and videos may also be featured on the Sisters of Mercy’s website. As listed on the Sisters of Mer-cy’s webpage, video entries for this year are encouraged to address events of the past year.

Prompts include “What racial inequities have been made clearer to society at large since the killing of George Floyd? In the suffering of the pandemic?”; “How are we practicing nonviolence as we practice social distancing?”; “How are more intense natural disasters, a consequence of climate change, affecting the lives of vulnerable people?”; “What does it mean to be an immigrant or a refugee in a time of escalating violence, bor-der walls and denied asylum?”; and “How has your understanding of one or more of the Critical Concerns deepened in light of the pandemic? How have you been able to respond?”

Please note that while participants are encouraged to reflect on these recent events, this list is not exhaustive and they are not required to focus strictly on these issues. Any videos submitted which highlight the Critical Concerns will be accepted, and creativity is absolutely appreciated.

Videos recorded in both English and Spanish will be accepted .Videos may not be any longer than five minutes in length and also need to include a title screen and credit screen, though it is to be noted that the title and credits will not count against the length of the video. To read the rules and requirements in their entirety, students can visit the Sisters of Mercy web-site.

Mike Poulin, Justice Resource manager for the Sisters of Mercy, says, “The best videos tell a good story, use original video footage, focus on a specific topic, make a distinct connection (though not necessarily an explicit one) to a Critical Concern and aren’t any longer than they need to be. Sometimes a 3-minute video can be better than a 5-minute video on the same topic.” Poulin also adds, “We want students to have an experience engaging one or more of the Mercy Critical Concerns. The contest also generates short videos that we can use as resources to educate people about the Critical Concerns.”

Poulin says that the contest typically does not receive many entries from colleges or universities, and they would like to receive more. He strongly encourages Mercyhurst students to take part in the contest this year. All entries for the contest must be submitted by April 1, 2022.As Poulin says, this contest is more about quality than quantity.

This is a great opportunity to learn about the Sisters of Mercy, do something creative and maybe even win the grand prize. This is an excellent time to reflect on the work that the Sisters have done, especially since our school would not exist without their determination and passion for helping others.

Interested students can visit the Sisters of Mercy webpage and fill out the form to receive information, updates and reminders about the contest. Students can also visit the web page to view the videos of past winners and receive tips for entry. After the 2020 contest was canceled due to COVID, Tristen Hasson, Melanie McGill and Sydney Pasceri won the 2021 award.

The deadline is April 1, 2022, so there is plenty of time left to make videos and take your spot as the champion of 2022.Visit the website at https://www.sistersofmercy.org/so-cial-justice-video-contest/ to get started. Bring your A-game; good luck!