NMU’s Marketing and Communication department is putting on its NMUTube Student Video Contest for the second year in a row.

Students are to pick from five different categories that would involve them either telling a personal story about an experience at NMU, a way that they have succeeded or improved since coming to NMU, how students take advantage of the location and outdoor activities, the personality of Northern or how Lake Superior has influenced them and/or other students.

“The biggest reason we do this contest is to show perspective students what NMU is like through the eyes of students, instead of some old lady like me telling them,” said Cindy Paavola, director of communications and marketing.

These videos are meant to go along with NMU’s current television advertising campaign: My Adventure. My NMU. According to Paavola, this is also a marketing effort. It’s a way to advertise NMU in a format that is accessible to anyone with the Internet, while at the same time giving students an opportunity to be creative, express themselves and do something for their school.

“A one-page ad in the Mining Journal costs about $1,000,” Paavola said. “That doesn’t reach too many people.”

Altogether, the total prize money, including a $1,000 grand prize winner that is picked by a campus-wide vote, awarded to the winners of the contest totals $5,250; which comes from the Communications and Marketing budget.

Andrew Tippett, a senior majoring in Digital Cinema, chose to do his video on his personal experience at NMU.

“My video is going to talk about how I got in trouble a few years ago and how three NMU professors encouraged me to get back into school,” Tippett said. “They helped me channel my energy into a positive outlet.”

Tippett plans to narrate the story using spoken word (a type of poetry). He also wants to emphasize and take advantage of the Marquette landscape in his video.

Besides the prize money, Tippett is doing the contest to get his work out there.

“It’s also something I feel good doing,” Tippett said.

He feels confident that he has an advantage over competitors because of his major and the equipment that he has access to because of his major. Tippett is going to use a Canon XA10 along with microphones that can filter out the sound of blowing wind.

A panel of 10 judges for the contest are going to be gathered from the Office of the President, NMU Admissions, NMU Communications and Marketing and NMU Audio Visual Services.

Paavola believes that potential students can get a feel of the personality of the student body at Northern through these videos.

Any current NMU student can enter the contest individually or in a team of 10 or less by turning in an application by 5 p.m., Friday, March 23. The campus-wide vote will take place in early April and the winners will be announced no later than April 6. The application, rules and other information on the contest can be found at www.nmu.edu/videocontest.