1. RULES OF PARTICIPATION

• 1.1 How can I participate?

  As team spokesperson, you will register on the website and invite your team members to participate. Your team members must confirm the invitation. After registering on our website, the video must be uploaded to our website before the application deadline (by August 1). All videos that fulfill the requirements—responding to all four questions, max. length: four minutes, max. file size: 400 MB; file format: .mp4, landscape view, no advertising in the video—and observe property rights (e.g., public-domain music, picture copyrights, and personal rights), will be rated by our panel of judges. A precondition is that we have received the completed and signed consent form from you (and all other team members) through the participants’ area before the deadline, either the original by mail or as scanned PDF file.

• 1.2 How many videos may I submit?

  You may submit only one video for each of the four companies or organizations. In total, that is, you may submit a maximum of four videos. During your registration, you can indicate which company or companies you have chosen. What you can’t do is submit one video about a company as an individually and a video about the same company as a member of a different team.

• 1.3 Can I form a team with students from different schools?

  Yes, participation across schools is allowed. For instance, you can form a team with your friends who attend another school. Please note that all members have to be students and between 14 and 20 years old, and that your team may have no more than six members.

• 1.4 Can I form a team with students from different age groups?

  Yes, you can, as long as you are all between 14 and 20 years old.

• 1.5 Can I also participate if I am under 14 or over 20 years old?

  Only students between 14 and 20 will have access to the team area and thus the option of submitting a video. Only they will receive a certificate of participation if they have submitted a consent form and a video, either alone or in a team. However, you are still welcome to support a team if you like.

• 1.6 Can I participate if I am no longer a student?

  Only students between the ages of 14 and 20 from all types of schools may participate. Exception: In your senior year, you can participate in the current competition round even if you have already graduated. 

• 1.7 How are the winners chosen?

  A panel of judges composed of members of the educational initiative business@school and company representatives will choose the best videos of the European teams. In addition, there will be an Audience Award that you and your friends can vote for online. We will also give the Youngster Award to the best video up to grade 9. All finalists will be invited to our award ceremony. We will cover all travel expenses for the finalists from Europe. If you don’t live in Europe, you can still win attractive prizes.

• 1.8 Will all submitted videos be published?

  No, only the videos nominated for the online voting will be published.

2. QUESTIONS ABOUT VIDEO DESIGN AND CONTENT

• 2.1 Where can I find information about the companies?

  Research different sources that are freely available. Don’t use only the company’s website. Look at its annual report, read independent studies, and conduct some press research. Question your sources and think about the possible motivations for writing the texts. This will give you a comprehensive, critical perspective.

• 2.2 May I contact the company itself?

  Unfortunately, the companies will not be able to answer your questions separately by phone or e-mail. However, we will hold a Q&A session for each of the four companies in April or May, open to all registered participants, at which you can ask the companies all your questions. Register for the competition before the end of March to participate. The links to the Q&A session will be sent to all registered participants. You can check the dates here as soon as they have been scheduled.

• 2.3 Can I film anywhere?

  If you are filming on private property or in a building, you will need the owner’s consent. If you want to film on site at one of the b@s videochallenge companies, you will also have to get permission to do so beforehand. When filming or photographing people, you must observe their personal rights. You will need their permission to film them, as well as their consent to the publication of any photographs. More information about a person’s right to their own image can be found here; information about filming videos during classes can be found here. The safest way is to get a written declaration of consent from the individual (and a parent or guardian’s consent for minors). You can download templates for filming permits and a consent form on this page.

• 2.4 May I use images, videos, or music that I didn’t create myself?

  Go to section 4 for more detailed information on legal topics.

• 2.5 Are there instructions for creating the submissions on this website?

  No—and we don’t want to set a whole lot of rules, either. You can use any type of camera, including your cell phone camera; you can dub your video or just add music; you can also send us explanatory films you created on your computer. You may find it helpful to take a look at last year’s finalists.

• 2.6. I don’t have any experience producing videos. Where can I find help?

  The broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk has prepared a number of very helpful tutorials. One tip from past participants: Use free software for video editing, or programs that are already installed on your computer. We have compiled some helpful information for filming with your smartphone, which you can download on this page.

• 2.7 Do all team members have to be shown in the video?

  No, you can design your video freely and decide for yourself how you want to answer the four questions. There are no specifications for the content structure or how you produce the video—with the exception of answering all four questions within four minutes. If you use your cell phone camera, be sure to film in landscape view.

• 2.8 What happens if I don’t answer all four questions?

  If not all questions are answered, the video cannot be rated and will be excluded from the competition. This is also the case if, e.g., only two instead of three risks are mentioned.

• 2.9 What additional questions can help me in the concept phase?

  Take a close look at the company’s history. Find out how it is responding to current challenges (e.g., sustainability, environmental protection, digitalization). Look at who the competitors are, how the market is developing, and what trends could change the market in the future. Pay attention to how the company treats its employees, whether there are conflicts with unions, and what the public opinion is on the company.

• 2.10 What language should the video be in?

  The submitted videos can be in either German or English.

• 2.11 What criteria will be taken into account in the evaluation?

  The evaluation will be based in particular on the following criteria: Have all four questions been answered? How accurate is the analysis, and was it well researched? How creative is the video? Is the video fun to watch? Were all intellectual property rights observed?

3. QUESTIONS ABOUT UPLOADS AND PRIZES

• 3.1 May I upload my video to YouTube or similar sites?

  Of course you can, but only after the online voting has started. If your video made it to the online voting, we would be pleased if you share the link to our voting page and advertise it through your channels.

• 3.2 Will there be a certificate of participation?

  If you have submitted a video either alone or with your team and we have your signed consent form, you will receive a personalized certificate of participation from us. It will be mailed to you after the award ceremony.

• 3.3 What happens if an individual wins a prize that is intended for multiple participants?

  If you enter the competition alone and win a group prize, you may invite one of your friends to join you. The travel expenses will then also be covered for your friend and if you are under 18 years of age, for one teacher or supervisor.

• 3.4 Who is allowed to travel to the award ceremony and to redeem a prize?

  If you wish to attend and travel to the award ceremony or redeem a prize and you are under 18 years of age, you must be accompanied by a teacher or adult supervisor. Therefore, the invited team—and, in case of participants under 18, also a teacher or supervisor—may travel to the events. All finalists will receive further travel information ahead of the event.

• 3.5 When will the award ceremony take place?

  The award ceremony will take place in fall. If you are among the finalists, you will receive all the information you need in time.

4. LEGAL QUESTIONS

• 4.1 May I use any photos, videos, drawings, graphics, and music that I can find online?

  Content that you find online belongs to a creator, who also holds the copyright to such content. You are therefore not allowed to simply use it without permission. It is not enough to simply indicate where you found the content. You cannot merely purchase a song to use it for a video that will be shown to the public.

• 4.2 Are there any exceptions?

  Works are considered exempt from copyright if the artist has been dead for at least 70 years. After that, you may use it freely. However, in the case of music, you have to make sure that you aren’t using a newer recording that may still be copyright-protected.

  You may also use creative commons works for your video if you follow the guidelines set for them.
  - The different terms and conditions can be found here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=de 
  - Look for freely usable materials through search engines or Creative Commons (https://search.creativecommons.org/).
  To be safe, we recommend verifying the license again directly with the source. Of course, you can also write to the creator to ask whether you can use the materials.

• 4.3 May I use GIFs, including from Giphy?

  GIFs are not freely usable, either—the same rules apply to them as to images and videos. You can also often use search engines to find animated images that are free for use.

• 4.4 May I use photographs, videos, drawings, and graphics that I created myself?

  Yes, if … 
  … nobody’s rights to their own image are violated. That means that everyone who is visible in the image consented to its use. That also applies to drawings that depict specific people.
  … no protected trademarks (including most logos) or designs, private property, or interiors are visible. Here, too, you need permission (from the trademark owner, designer, or owner). 
  Exception: If people or brands are only incidental to the image, i.e., not the main subject, no permission is needed.

• 4.5 Do I have to list the materials I used?

  Absolutely. Creative commons works, too, generally require their source to be named. Ideally, you should list the sources directly in your video. Only your own materials need not be mentioned. One exception is if the creator explicitly waives a statement of the source.

• 4.6 May I use, e.g., music by Mozart?

  The copyrights to his compositions have expired; however, you must check whether there is any copyright on the recording you want to use (e.g., of the orchestra).

• 4.7 May I use an image I found through a Google Images search?

  That depends. In the tools for the Google Images search, you can use a setting that only shows images that are marked “for reuse and modification.” Please also check in the original source of the image whether that indication is correct and whether the image does not violate any person’s rights to their own image.

• 4.8 May I use a GIF of a celebrity that I found on Giphy?

  No, because that violates both the copyrights (of the photographer and the GIF creator) and the (celebrity’s) rights to their own image. If you want to get permission to use it, you must observe these existing rights.

• 4.9 May I use excerpts of TV shows for my video, e.g., the title music of the daily news, or the music from “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”?

  No, because the TV stations own the rights to their programs, so you cannot use them without permission. Of course, you can ask the TV station whether you may use these elements for your video.

• 4.10 May I film in a building or on the premises of a company?

  No, because the owner’s domiciliary rights apply there. However, you can ask them for permission to film. If the building is visible from the sidewalk without any obstructions, you can film there without any permissions, provided that you observe the filmed people’s rights.

• 4.11 May I use logos, images, and video material of the company I am analyzing?

  Yes, provided that the company you are analyzing also holds the copyrights to these materials. You can usually find the materials on their website or other proprietary channels of the company. A YouTube video uploaded by a private individual, for instance, does not fall into this category.

• 4.12 May I use emojis?

  No, because emojis can also be copyright-protected. However, like with other content taken off the internet, you can use emojis that have been released for use, for instance under a creative commons license. 

• 4.13 May I use country flags, world maps, or similar?

  Country flags are public property, and you may use them in your video. World, city, and other maps, in contrast, are subject to copyright. That means you need permission to use them. However, you can use images of maps that have been released for use, e.g., under a creative commons license. 

• 4.14 May I record video off my cell phone or laptop, or show other branded items in my video?

  If you want to show videos/images or a website on your phone or laptop, and these are not sites or videos/images of the company you are presenting, you must make sure that they are not identifiable in detail. In addition, you are not allowed to accept any payment, reward, or sponsoring for showing a certain device or content in your video.

• 4.15 Are there any exceptions for when I can use graphics or animations?

  Like any content on the internet, you may use animations only with the permission of their creator. If you want to use graphics and statistics, you can of course ask the creator for permission. Alternatively, however, you can also create your own graphics/tables or your own diagrams with your information using either software or drawing them by hand.

• 4.16 What about fonts?

  You may use any common fonts installed on your computer in your video. 

• 4.17 May I show other logos, e.g., those of my company’s competitors?

  As a rule, logos are copyright-protected. However, you may make use of the copyright quotation right. That means that you can show a logo if you subsequently talk about the logo or the company behind it. In that case, however, you must indicate the source where you found the logo. You must also discuss it objectively—that means that you cannot simply place the logo in a negative context, criticize it unobjectively, or insult the company. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS A TEACHER

5. QUESTIONS ABOUT INTEGRATING THE B@S VIDEOCHALLENGE IN YOUR CLASSROOM

• 5.1 I would like to tell a teacher or school about the b@s videochallenge. Where can I get information?

  You can find all the information for teachers in the teachers’ area. If you need a poster to display at your school, please send a brief e-mail to info@videochallenge.online.

• 5.2 I am a teacher and would like to participate in the b@s videochallenge with my students. How can I implement the competition?

  The students can participate in the b@s videochallenge either on their own or in a team outside the school setting. You are welcome to tell your students about the b@s videochallenge. Of course, it can also be integrated into your classes or carried out as part of a project with your students. You can download a sample agenda for the project and further material here. Tutorials with detailed explanations and videos on the individual steps from planning to upload can be found in the online portal of Bayerischer Rundfunk. If you need recommendations for software tools and the right hardware, please write an e-mail to info@videochallenge.online. We will be happy to help you!

• 5.3 How can I get in touch with colleagues who have already participated in the b@s videochallenge?

  We would be pleased to put you in touch directly with such colleagues. Please write us an e-mail at info@videochallenge.online with your questions and contact information. We will then forward your request to the teachers. 

• 5.4 What are the objectives of the b@s videochallenge?

  Acquiring and applying business knowledge, critically looking at media and information, learning creativity in conveying the results, practicing personal responsibility and independent thinking and acting, and fun for students and teachers.

• 5.5 Is the b@s videochallenge also suitable for career guidance?

  Yes, by participating the students gain a deep insight into the analyzed company as well as the entire industry. They learn about their strengths and interests and develop soft skills that are important for the professional world, such as personal responsibility and the ability to work in a team. At the award ceremony, the finalists can also have conversations with the partner companies.

• 5.6 How much work is involved in participating?

  Earlier prize winners have reported that they spent about 20 to 30 hours on their video. Most of them said that they received no or less than five hours of concrete support from their teachers. Teachers largely assumed the role of project manager. You won’t need any technical equipment and specialized know-how to participate: The videos can be filmed on cell phones, edited using free software, and uploaded in the participant area of this platform. 

• 5.7 What are the first steps for me as a teacher?

  Colleagues recommend that you first give some thought to the frame conditions (timing, during class or as a project, interdisciplinary or not, in English or German, etc.), the available technology (editing software, camera or smartphone), and finding potential participants (in a course, individual students, across grades, etc.). It can also be helpful to work together with colleagues or students who already have some video production experience. For the concrete implementation, it can also help to prepare a schedule (with enough time for research, writing the script, applying the technology, and editing the video). You can download a sample agenda for the project with possible content here.

• 5.8 What do I do if not all students have signed the rules of participation?

  Of course, you can still carry out the b@s videochallenge. However, only registered participants who have sent in a consent form and submitted a video will receive a certificate of participation.

• 5.9 How can I track the team's project status?

  After registration, your students can invite you as a teacher to join the team. Confirm this invitation to track the team's project status. Of course, you can also supervise multiple teams.