WGT – Official Rules & Guidelines

How Westwood’s Got Talent Works - Official Rules, Guidelines, and Fees.

 

Entry Fees

$40 per video submission for an individual - no more than one (1) Westwood youth between the ages of 5-18 years old appearing in the video. Parents can participate with their child free of charge.

$80 per video submission for a group - any group of two (2) or more Westwood youth ages 5-18 years old appearing in the video. Parents can participate with their children free of charge.

Registration and Video Submission Rules

  1. The Registration and Video Submission period opens on March 1, 2021 and closes on March 14, 2021.
  2. Videos must be submitted through the Westwood’s Got Talent Contest Page, which will go live at 9:00AM ET on March 1, 2021 and will close at 11:59PM ET on March 14, 2021. (Enter your email in the form above to receive an email alert when the contest page is live.)
  3. All videos will be reviewed and approved for appropriate content.
  4. All approved videos will be posted for public viewing and voting on the Foundation for Westwood Education website and social media pages starting 3/15/2021 at 6:00PM ET.
  5. Registrants must submit all required information, including:
    1. Entrant/Group name
    2. Valid email address
    3. Parental acceptance of terms of use
    4. Parent/guardian release and waiver
    5. Authorization to publicly post submitted video content
    6. Age group of participants: 5-8, 9-12, 13-15, 16-18
  6. A video file upload will be required with submission. Registration without a video will not be accepted. The contest page is the ONLY method to enter the contest and upload videos. Submissions attempts via email will NOT be accepted.
  7. Registrants and their Parents/Guardians agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Foundation for Westwood Education and its Board Members against any and all claims for loss, damage or injury resulting from participation in Westwood's Got Talent, including without limitation, loss or damage resulting from the creation of video submissions.

Video Submission Criteria

  1. Acceptable video file formats: MP4, MOV, WEBM, AVI, WMV, FLV, MPEG, 3GPP, 3G2 and MKV.
  2. Max file size per video:  500MB. Check your camera’s resolution settings and avoid 4K resolution — this could produce file sizes too large for the video hosting platform. Your final recording file size must be under 500 MB.
  3. Duration: Minimum of 30 seconds and maximum of 4 minutes.
  4. Any content that is not original should be given credit within the video.
  5. Incorporation or use of copyrighted material must be in compliance with all laws and regulations, including without limitation YouTube’s Copyright guidelines and ViralSweep’s terms of use
  6. All content must be clean, appropriate and non-explicit
  7. Social Distancing - groups containing people from different households must comply with the CDC Social Distancing Guidelines. Zoom collaborations are encouraged.
  8. Parents are encouraged to participate with their children provided they are background performers only. Parent involvement is free of charge.
  9. Videos must further adhere to the Category-Specific Submission Guidelines set forth below.

Public Voting Rules

  1. All voters will be required to register with a valid email address. Voters are not required to be Westwood residents.
  2. Once registered, voters will be able to cast a vote once per day per video during voting rounds. Daily voting is limited to one vote per internet connection (IP address) per video per day.**
  3. The first round of popular voting will occur March 15 - 21. Popular voting in the first round will determine semi-finalists in each showcase category and age group (a total of 24 semi-finalists).
  4. The second round of semi-finalist voting will occur March 22- 28. Popular voting will determine a finalist in each age group (4 finalists).
  5. A Grand Prize Winner will be announced between March 29 - 31. The grand prize winner will be the finalist with the highest popular vote. In the unlikely event of a tie, the grand prize will be split evenly between the tied finalists.
  6. The Grand Prize Winner will be awarded $300.

**The Foundation for Westwood Education reserves the right to discount any votes determined by ViralSweep.com or the Foundation, in their sole discretion, to be made fraudulently, whether by masking (or spoofing) an IP address, or otherwise.  Any determinations regarding vote count made by the Foundation for Westwood Education shall be final.

Category-Specific Submission Guidelines

Music - Musicians/Band/Vocalists

Video submissions in the music category must include:

  • A solo or group vocal or instrumental music performance
  • A continuous, uninterrupted, performance - No splicing of portions of vocal/music performance into a whole (performances that are not a continuous, uninterrupted performance may be submitted in the Dramatic/Cinematic Arts category)
  • No lip-syncing is allowed in the music category (lip-synced performances may be submitted in the Dramatic/Cinematic Arts category)
  • No modified sounds to enhance or alter the performance (enhanced performances may be submitted in the Dramatic/Cinematic Arts category)

Dance - Dance/Choreography

Video submission in the dance category must include:

  • A solo or group dance or gymnastics routine
  • A continuous, uninterrupted, performance - No splicing of portions of a dance performance into a whole (performances that are not a continuous, uninterrupted performance may be submitted in the Dramatic/Cinematic Arts category)
  • No modified video graphics that enhance or alter the performance (enhanced performances may be submitted in the Dramatic/Cinematic Arts category)

Science - Science Projects/Engineering/Legos

Video submission in the science category must include:

  • A video showcasing something you have built in the field of science, engineering, electronics and/or technology
  • Ideas for Science categories submissions: Lego® creations, Rube Goldberg machines, demonstrations of experiments, physics, robotics, computer science, etc.

Literary Arts - Poetry/Spoken Word

Video submission in the Literary Arts category:

  • Must be a video showcasing an original literary creation through voice or text. While the performer does not have to appear on camera, the video should include an audio recitation in the video
  • Can include other elements such as music, pictures, or other visual interpretive enhancements
  • Can have visuals in slide or presentation format.

Visual Arts - Sculpture/Painting/Drawing/Photography

Video submissions in the Visual Arts category must:

  • Provide a clear view of the artwork. Sculptures must display the piece from multiple angles.
  • Include an audio recitation describing the content, materials, and process of creating the work. The performer does not have to appear on camera. Background music is allowed.

Dramatic/Cinematic Arts - Skits/Comedy/Theater/Short Films/Animations

Video submissions in the Dramatic/Cinematic Arts category must:

  • Showcase a dramatic and/or cinematic creation. Submissions may include creations that are multi-disciplinary such as screenwriting with dramatic performance, animation with voice-over, and/or variety act including magic, comedy, satire, live action story, skits, etc.

Note: Videos produced to enhance, alter, or manipulate the appearance or sound of a dance or musical act should be submitted in this category. Lip-syncing acts are also accepted in this category. Otherwise, performances that are free of enhancements, alterations, or manipulations, (i.e. showcasing performers’ natural abilities) should be submitted in the appropriate Music or Dance categories.

Questions? Email wgt@foundationforwestwoodeducation.org.

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