The You Plus TCU video contest offers students a fun way to express their views of the university.

The contest, sponsored by Red Productions, challenges students to create videos explaining their answers to five questions about their university experiences. The winners will receive prizes including use of a luxury box for a home football game and a Canon camera.

However, the requirement of video submissions may be too limiting to include all students.
Some students, such as those taking classes in communications or film-television-digital media, may be proficient in video production and may enjoy making videos.

However, others students may not be interested in creating videos and might be more capable of telling their stories in a different medium, such as still photography, drawing or writing.

Erin Ostenson, account director for Red Productions, said submissions should be “creative and unexpected.” However, the contest accepts only one medium.

You Plus TCU does accept videos shot on a cell phone in an effort to get more students who may not be video professionals to participate. However, some students still may be hesitant to enter a cell phone video in a contest that likely would have better quality video submissions.

This contest is a good way to get students to think about and share their university experiences. However, if it was expanded beyond video, it could enable more students to participate.

You Plus TCU could be a beneficial experience for students that could even result in valuable prizes, but it might be made even better if it allowed submissions in different creative media.

Special sections editor Lyndsi Hardin for the editorial board.