Do you want to make a video about your favourite mineral? We want your entries from 3 seconds to 3 minutes!
Information
We invite submissions of videos from 3 seconds to 3 minutes long about mineralogy in the environment. Videos should focus on one mineral that can be made in the environment, found in the environment, and/or used in the environment. We want to hear about what makes your mineral unique and how we couldn’t live without it.
Prizes (£200) will be awarded for:
- Best student video (undergraduate or earlier)
- Best graduate/postgraduate video
- Most novel/unusual mineral video
- Community favourite video
We will show the winning videos at our Research in Progress meeting in 2024.
Ideas for any of the thousands of internationally recognised minerals can be found at various places, e.g. http://webmineral.com/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minerals, https://www.mindat.org/, or even the Mineral Cup on Twitter (https://twitter.com/mineralcup). Clay minerals/groups of minerals in clays are permitted. Please ensure that your video can be understood by a member of the public, i.e. avoid scientific jargon as much as you can
Videos can be submitted by either an individual or a group. You can submit as many videos as you like but only one prize can be won per entrant. There are no geographical or membership restrictions to entries.
When
Deadline for submissions 13th October 2023. Winners will be announced November 2023.
How to submit?
Submit videos using a file transfer service (e.g., WeTransfer / Google Drive / Dropbox etc.) and sending the link to emg@minersoc.org. In your email include a statement that: (a) you give permission for us to post your video on our YouTube channel and social media; (b) you have the permission of any other person (or their property) who appears in the video to be recorded/displayed in this way; and (c) if you are under 18 confirm that you have permission from a parent or guardian to participate. Please also state if you are a student and wish to be considered for this award category.
Prize judging and award
Videos will be judged by a panel of at least three Environmental Mineralogy Group committee members/Mineralogical Society Council Members. Community favourite will be assessed by the number of likes and quality of comments on the YouTube channel, and posts on social media. Decisions are final. Note that the committee may decide not to host all videos. Any winners under the age of 18 must demonstrate consent from a parent or legal guardian in order to receive their prize. The committee reserves the right to edit or not award prize categories if necessary
About us
The Environmental Mineralogy Group is a special interest group of the Mineralogical Society. We are responsible for promoting this subject and broadening interest, both to professional mineralogists and beyond to interested members of the public.
The entries will allow us to create a set of educational resources which will be made available through our webpage and related YouTube channel. It will provide an opportunities to develop communication skills, build CVs, and discover how awesome and important minerals are.
Previous winners
Winners – 2022
Congratulations to our winners of the competition 2022
Feldspars – Best student video
Jarosite – Best graduate student video
Kyanos – Most novel/unusual mineral
Perovskite – Community favourite
Hollandite
Winners – 2021
Congratulations to our winners of the competition 2021
– Best student video
Tourmaline
By Katarina Culverhouse
– Best graduate/postgraduate video
Ferrihydrite, small but powerful
By Giulia Fantappie Andrew Grigg Ruben Kretzschmar Joelle Kubeneck Luiza Notini Katherine Rothwell Katrin Schulz Laural ThomasArrigo
– Most unusual mineral video
Nontronite – An animated introduction
By Katherine Rothwell and Craig Thompson
We wanted to hear about what makes your mineral unique and how we couldn’t live without it. These three certainly live up to the brief.
Other example videos
Here are some examples videos put together by members of the Environmental Mineralogy Group committee (James Byrne, Luke Townsend & Laura Newsome):