Video contests are not only good for the winners. They are a great opportunity to exercise your creativity, gain valuable experience working under a deadline, and most of all, boost your reel if you’re an aspiring filmmaker. Check out these cool contests going on right now:

1. The first-ever Vimeo Festival and Awards is coming up soon. With several reputable judges like David Lynch and DJ Spooky there will surely be some interesting videos that win. The award categories include narrative, animation, documentary, music video, experimental and more. The overall winner will receive a grant for $25,000 to work on future video projects. Hurry, because the deadline to enter is July 31st! Enter here.

2. Amazon wants you to make their next television commercial for Kindle. In 60 seconds, show what makes Kindle such a great product and you just might win the grand prize of $10,000. There will also be 5 editors’ choice awards totaling $2,000 courtesy of Poptent. This contest also ends July 31st, so time is of the essence. Enter here.

3. You know those self-indulgent moments in life when you might eat a little too much and need something to settle your stomach? The witty people at Pepto-Bismol want you to capture the pink stuff on film saving the day.  Judges will look for the most genuine recorded moment (60 seconds) and award the winner $15,000. Deadline is August 16th. Enter here.

4. Canon is featuring a cool contest involving photographer Vincent Laforet. Participants must interpret a still photograph and create a short film (2-4 min) about it using an HD camera. Several submission periods have already passed, and a few winners have already been selected, but there is still one last chance to enter by August 25th. All chapter winners receive a one year membership to Vimeo Plus, a Canon EOS 7D or 5D Mark II and choice of lens, plus a trip to work on a film with Vincent Laforet. Enter here.

5. In need of a long vacation? Get Rid of Me is a video contest from On The Go Tours with a organized six month trip as the grand prize. Create a video explaining why they should get rid of you, write a short essay and create daily confessions to qualify to win. The best part is you get a spare ticket to bring along a friend to places like China, Egypt, South Africa and Nepal. Contest ends September 30th. Enter here.

They give you deadlines, they give you more work to add on your reel, and sometimes, they even pay off.

So grab your camera and get moving!

5. Cannes 2010: Coke Zero Video Contest

Coca Cola wants to reach out to all of us sugar-high youngsters (18-24) to inspire us to think “Impossible is Possible” (as in Coke Zero being tasty). Up to $10k in prizes, several runners-up, plus a Grand Prize of travel, accommodations, and VIP access to Cannes 2010.  Deadline is June 1.  Info here.

4. Roommate of the Year

Free rent for a year plus $10,000 cash?  Now that’s what I’m talking about. Listen up New York and San Francisco–I know you’re not bankrolling a solo spot.  Make a video about how you’re the best roommate ever.  If you aren’t already, you sure as hell will be after winning this contest.  Details here.

3. Tony Stark Innovation Video Challenge

An ideal contest for media makers who are either a) obsessed with Iron Man, b) obsessed with progressive change, or c) all of the above.  Submit your idea for “Better Living through Technology,” and you could win $15,000 in seed money in addition to VIP treatment for two in LA.

2. Cannes 2010: Coca-Cola [Cont'd]

Actually, while you’re at it (see #5), up your stakes to win big by entering the C0ca-Cola Light Video Contest and the Coke Video Contest (classic). $10,000 all around.

1. Couch Abandonment Contest

Are you moving?  Even though there’s no money involved, I included this one because I honestly can’t tell if it’s a joke or not.  AmericanListed.com is a classifieds website–a less elegant, USA-themed Craigslist, if you will.  The contest is framed like a PSA to stop “Couch Abandonment”–the urban blight of couches tossed out onto the sidewalk.  The idea is to create  a testimonial explaining why your old couch deserves a better afterlife than most.  Are they serious? Or is this high-brow camp-marketing?

Happy Shooting.

Check out the LinkTV ViewChange Film Contest, which aims to support videos that raise awareness and inspire action in the effort to eliminate global poverty.

Even Danny Glover is on board (literally, as a member of LinkTV’s board of directors).

Whether you’re full-timing or freelancing, contests are a great way to keep your creative juices flowing.

They give you deadlines, they give you more work to add on your reel, and sometimes, they even pay off.

So grab your camera and get moving!

5. MacGruber Viral Video Contest

Universal and Rogue Pictures are offering $10,000 for “viral videos” that incorporate lines of dialogue from the upcoming film MacGruber. To get inspired for this one, you’re probably gonna have to watch the trailer for the film. (Don’t worry–it seems to have something for everyone, from Ryan Phillippe to huge explosions). Incidentally, the trailer itself is the product of a video contest, so you know they mean business.

4.  BigStar.tv $50,000 Online Film Festival

Have you ever made a short film and thought “This is so good, someone should give me $50,000 for all the trouble I took to make it”?  Well, your prayers have been answered.  The BigStar Online Film Festival is taking submissions of 5-minutes or less in any genre, through the end of 2010.  Compared with “offline” industry festivals, the $25 entry fee is not bad (that’s a 200,000% return on your investment).

3.  Video Meets Baby Boomers

The Lean Forward Media Project, in partnership with 24/7 Real Media, is taking 3-5 minute documentary-style submissions that illustrate how the 50+ crowd is using technology.  $10,000 and other prizes.

2. Aflac 10 Second Challenge

Quick and easy: Aflac, an insurance company, is crowdsourcing  videos that explain what Aflac does in 10 seconds.  $25,000 grand prize, details here.

1. The Living Climate Change Video Challenge

I like this one because it lends itself to Baraka-esque experimentation.  Living Climate Change, an online community hosted by IDEO and Design21: Social Design Network, is offering $3,000 to strike up a “conversation” about climate change effecting the future.  Yeah, I can dig it.

They give you deadlines, they give you more work to add on your reel, and sometimes, they even pay off.

We keep our eyes on contests, occasionally enter ourselves, and put in work on some, as well. So grab your camera and get moving!

5.  Are You Free Enterprise?

Lord knows creative people have to be business people, too.  Shoot a 3-minute video on what free enterprise means to you, and you could win $50,000 to jump-start that “production company” you’ve been running from your mom’s basement, courtesy of American Free Enterprise.

4. Pink Martini Music Video Contest

A free trip to France for making a  music video?  Yes, please.  Plus, the band behind this music video contest is called Pink Martini.  How cool is that?

According to their website, “Pink Martini draws inspiration from the romantic Hollywood musicals of the 1940s or ‘50s … with a more global perspective.” Yeah, I’m feeling it.

3. Go Daddy Super Bowl Video Contest

Bob Garfield of AdAge called this year’s Go Daddy Super Bowl spots “brainless boobage.”  So, Go Daddy is offering $100,000 in cash to anyone who thinks they can do better.

2. Skinit Spotlight Challenge

$25,000 grand prize, plus $5k to semi-finalists.  Info here.

1.  Film Your Issue 2010

Are you a media maker with an idea for a community project?  The What’s Your Issue Foundation is offering the ultimate double-whammy:  create a 3-minute video describing an issue and possible solution to it, and enter for a chance to pitch your idea to senior officials in the Obama administration.  Details here.

* The “You Vote, We Decide” model invites participants to vote on an idea and provide feedback, but the ultimate decision rests with the company.

* The “Crowd Decision” gives all authority to the crowd. The highest vote getter wins. This model is not likely to be used for strategic decisions, Carpenter said, “but this concept is great for engaging your audience … and for letting them communicate to you what they think is the meaning of your brand.”

* The “Expert Decision” model is reserved for highly specialized or technical decisions made by a smaller crowd of experts. Netflix, not a Spigit customer, used this model to conduct a contest that awarded $1 million to the first person to improve the accuracy of its movie recommendations for subscribers by at least 10 percent.

* The fourth model is the “We Vote, You Decide” model, which Carpenter also affectionately calls the “American Idol” model. In this case, the company solicits all sorts of suggestions, but narrows down the choices over time, just as Simon, Randy, Ellen and Kara do on the reality TV show, then turn the process over to the fans to pick the winner via phone call or text message. “The experts make a selection and kind of filter out the worst of the crop … guiding the process toward a certain area,” said Carpenter

Worth a read.

“Design should not be a one-way street, with artists creating work in a vacuum. We believe the best design, art and content comes at the request of a specific brief, mission or client. Speculative design competitions and processes result in superficial assessments of the project at hand that are not grounded in a client’s specific needs. Art always has something to say.

There are few professions where all possible candidates are asked to do the work first, allowing the buyer to choose which one to compensate for their efforts. (Just consider the response if you were to ask a dozen lawyers to write a brief for you, from which you would then choose which one to pay!)”

Read the whole letter here. Motionographer has always had its thumb on the pulse of the creative community and this call to arms is no exception. Although crowd sourcing (in the form of contests) was initially (and continues to be) hyped as a new, democratic production model, it is suffering from  inevitable backlash, and agencies and brands should take notice.

LGF Promo from Massify on Vimeo.

Whether you”ll actually be able to maintain control of the project remains to be seen, but here’s call for pitches:

Massify and Lionsgate Films have partnered to create an original, high-concept comedy developed entirely through Massify’s production network. A writer, director, cast, and crew will be attached through Massify – with Lionsgate’s feature film development team providing input throughout the process. This is an opportunity to work with the leading next generation studio on a breakthrough project.

There’s more info here.

“nosfeROCKtu is a creative competition that challenges artist to collaborate across mediums to create a cohesive coupling of silent film and live music. The event will benefit ART START (www.Art-Start.org) , a Non-profit Organization that helps nurture the minds of under served children and teenagers through a variety of creative workshops.”

For more info and to participate go here

Oh, and save the date if you’re in NY… Urgent Content and Urgensia Fam will be in the city to connect you live on 2/16.  Stay connected on the @UrgentContent twitter feed for additional info.  Cristal for the first 2 people that show up.

5. The International Olympic Challenge’s Best Of Us Challenge*

A little secret about videocontests: If they’re not offering millions of dollars in prizes, chances are, they’re not getting that many submissions. Also, the best ones to enter are often the easiest ones to enter, because it won’t take much time.

Enter, the Best Of Us Challenge. All you have to do is upload a video of yourself attempting to complete one of the challenges on the their website, posted either by Olympians or regular youtubers. You can even post your own challenge and you will be entered to win.

Prizes include a trip to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore this summer, among other things. Highly recommended. Below is Brandon’s Entry.

* Disclosure: Urgent Content, Urgensia’s Parent, has been doing some work with the Agency behind the Best Of Us Challenge

4. Pepsi Refresh Contest

Prize is $10,000 and the chance to produce a commercial for Pepsi, which will look pretty good on most young creators’ reels. Subject is a 60 short on how you would ‘refresh’ the world. More info here.

3. Fidelity’s Be The Greenline contest

Another super simple challenge. A video about how you’re the “green line,” whatever that is. Prize is 5k. Website.

2. Best Buy Barcelona Contest

7500k. Make a 90 second short. Website

1. International Doc Challenge.

Previously blogged about here.

So get moving people!