Submissions Kickoff for the I Am Linux Video Contest
Why should only Microsoft and Apple have commercials for their operating systems? The Linux OS, be it Linux Mint 6 or openSUSE 11.1, or any other distro, deserves the same media coverage as Mac OS X 10.5.6 or Windows 7, and consequently the Linux Foundation has launched a video competition to see who can come up with a proper Linux commercial. Officially speaking, the competition will debut on the 26th of January, but the Linux Foundation is already accepting submissions.
“While the Linux Foundation would love to spend millions promoting Linux on TV, it's simply not our style (or in our budget). Even more importantly, Linux isn't a top-down, commercially controlled operating system. It's a grassroots product of mass collaboration. That's why we're sponsoring a community contest to create a Linux video that showcases just what Linux means to those who use it, and hopefully inspires many to try it,” explains the Linux Foundation.
Let’s present the incentives first, and the blockers later. If you come up with the best Linux ad, you will win a trip to Tokyo, Japan; there you will get to attend the Linux Foundation Japan Linux Symposium, which will debut in October, 2009. Before that, your video will be showcased on the 8th of April in San Francisco, at the Linux Foundation’s Collaboration Summit.
Moving on, you must know that the list of rules attached to this contest is quite long:
- You must be over 18 years of age.
- The video must be precisely 60 seconds long.
- You must not break the Linux Foundation's terms of service.
- All videos must be uploaded by the end of the contest, the 15th of March.
- The ad should inspire people to use the OS; humor is more than welcomed but making fun of other operating systems is not a requirement. What you should focus on is “originality, clarity of message and how much it inspires others to use Linux”.
- If a community or organization enters a video and wins, only one person will be awarded the prize.
“While the Linux Foundation would love to spend millions promoting Linux on TV, it's simply not our style (or in our budget). Even more importantly, Linux isn't a top-down, commercially controlled operating system. It's a grassroots product of mass collaboration. That's why we're sponsoring a community contest to create a Linux video that showcases just what Linux means to those who use it, and hopefully inspires many to try it,” explains the Linux Foundation.
Let’s present the incentives first, and the blockers later. If you come up with the best Linux ad, you will win a trip to Tokyo, Japan; there you will get to attend the Linux Foundation Japan Linux Symposium, which will debut in October, 2009. Before that, your video will be showcased on the 8th of April in San Francisco, at the Linux Foundation’s Collaboration Summit.
Moving on, you must know that the list of rules attached to this contest is quite long:
- You must be over 18 years of age.
- The video must be precisely 60 seconds long.
- You must not break the Linux Foundation's terms of service.
- All videos must be uploaded by the end of the contest, the 15th of March.
- The ad should inspire people to use the OS; humor is more than welcomed but making fun of other operating systems is not a requirement. What you should focus on is “originality, clarity of message and how much it inspires others to use Linux”.
- If a community or organization enters a video and wins, only one person will be awarded the prize.
