Saturday, December 30, 2006

15 Seconds CBS and YouTube Video Contest Winner Will Air on Super Bowl Sunday

CBS Interactive Introduces a New 15 Seconds Video Contest


By Paula Neal Mooney

"If you had 15 seconds to tell the world whatever you want to, what would you say?"

That is how CBS introduced its new "15 Seconds" contest, using Craig Ferguson to introduce the 15 Seconds contest with a YouTube "Solicitation Video" of his own at http://www.youtube.com/group/15seconds.

In order to participate in the 15 Seconds contest -- which will give any eligible person with access to a camcorder that can get their 15 Seconds video uploaded to the web -- a "chance to be seen and heard on national television, courtesy of CBS Interactive."

Registration for the 15 Seconds contest is free. Would-be hopeful are being asked to submit 15-second videos to YouTube.com through the CBS.com website - or on YouTube.com directly, as long as participants read, accept and follow the complete rules.

The official rules for CBS' 15 Seconds contest in conjunction with YouTube can be found at http://www.cbs.com/originals/15_seconds/15_Seconds_Official_Rules.pdf and at http://www.cbs.com/originals/15_seconds/

The 15 Seconds contest officials began accepting videos on Friday, December 29, 2006.

Every two weeks, CBS Interactive will choose from the 15 Seconds contests and select one to broadcast on TV. Of these 15 Seconds videos, the initial video selected will air on CBS on Super Bowl Sunday, February 4, 2007.

Videos that have already been submitted for the 15 Seconds contest can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/group/15seconds

Contestants can upload their 15 Seconds videos either through www.cbs.com for posting on YouTube.com or on YouTube.com directly -- but as the name specifically states, they must be no longer than 15 seconds in length.

Judges will post the top five favorites of the 15 Seconds video that comply with the rules, and post those top five 15 Seconds videos on CBS.com every two weeks.

The CBS site states that there is a limit of "one registration and one (1) video submission per person, per e-mail address, per quarter," and that any individual attempting to register more that once will be disqualified from the 15 Seconds contest.

The 15 Seconds contest rules also detail how to submit a video, and spell out that the 15 Seconds videos must be in English. The 15 Seconds videos must also be suitable to appear on television, and must not include anything the judges consider pornographic, offensive, or illegal. See official rules on CBS.com for all the details on entering a valid 15 Seconds video for consideration.