Contest Rules

The 2017 Racer X Amateur Film Festival presented by MotoSport, WASPcam, and Yamalube Official Rules

Make an awesome motocross video, submit it to Racer X Online, and hope yours is one of the eight videos that make the first cut into the semifinals. From there, Racer X Online viewers and a panel of judges will determine your fate, which could include some pretty cool prizes and serious bragging rights.

The Racer X Amateur Film Festival presented by MotoSport, WASPcam, and Yamalube is governed by the rules set out below. By entering the contest, you agree to abide by those rules and the decisions of Filter Publications and the contest judges. You also agree to comply with all applicable laws. The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law.

How to Enter

Read and understand all contest rules. If you want your entry to count, you have to follow the guidelines.

Make sure you download all of the official video assets to include in your video and keep your video to 4 minutes max (it can be shorter).

Upload your video to your personal YouTube account.

We will not accept submissions any other way than via YouTube link. If you don’t have a YouTube account, it's easy and free to set one up at www.youtube.com. Please set your video’s privacy settings to “Unlisted.” If you make the semifinals, we’ll have you submit an actual video file, which we’ll upload to the official Racer X Online YouTube channel for the voting rounds.

Enter the contest.

This is the easy part. Once your video is created, go to filmfestival.racerxonline.com/entry and fill out the entry form in its entirety. We’ll need the URL for your video on YouTube, plus some info about you and your submission. You’ll also need to accept the contest rules in order to enter. All entries will go before our panel, and we’ll narrow them down to eight semifinalists, who will square off against each other, tournament-style, for all the marbles.

IMPORTANT: We are not looking for daredevil videos here. Do not go out and film stupid stuff. Do not try to emulate the professional riders and stunt people who are highly trained to do dangerous things. Don’t have riders jump dangerous jumps, don’t film riders on dangerous terrain, and do think responsibly in general. We will immediately reject any videos depicting irresponsible behavior. This contest is about your ability as a video artist to build a compelling entry.

How to Win

There are two ways to win.

Fan Voting

The first step to winning is impressing our panel of judges (see panel details below). Our group of experts will watch and analyze every entry we receive, and we’ll narrow the submissions down to eight semifinalists. (Our decision is final.) From there, we’ll run two videos against each other each week for a month. The winner of each week, as determined by viewer voting, will advance to the finals. A final round of viewer voting will then determine our Racer X Amateur Film Festival winner and runners-up from the four finalists.

Panel Judging

As with fan voting, the first step to winning is impressing our panel of judges (see panel details below). Our group of experts will watch and analyze every entry we receive, and we’ll narrow the submissions down to eight semifinalists. Once the field is narrowed down to eight, a separate panel of judges (see panel details below) will determine one winner.

Prize Details

Fan Voting

Winning videos will be acknowledged on Racer X Online, and the winner and runners-up will be mentioned in a print issue of Racer X Illustrated. Additionally, the following prizes will be awarded:

Winner

  1. A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
  2. A $400 MotoSport.com shopping spree
  3. WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
  4. Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
  5. A Racer X Brand hat
  6. A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated 

Second Place

  1. A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
  2. A $300 MotoSport.com shopping spree
  3. WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
  4. Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
  5. A Racer X Brand hat
  6. A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated 

Third Place

  1. A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
  2. A $200 MotoSport.com shopping spree
  3. WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
  4. Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
  5. A Racer X Brand hat
  6. A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated

Fourth Place

  1. Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
  2. A Racer X Brand hat
  3. A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated 

Panel Judging

The winning video will be acknowledged on Racer X Online, and will be mentioned in a print issue of Racer X Illustrated. Additionally, the following prizes will be awarded: 

First Place

  1. A $500 Shopyamaha.com shopping spree
  2. A $400 MotoSport.com shopping spree
  3. WASPcam 9905 Wi-Fi Camera
  4. Two Racer X Brand T-shirts
  5. A Racer X Brand hat
  6. A one-year digital subscription to Racer X Illustrated
  7. An opportunity to shoot a Racer X Films Remastered at any round of the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Note: We will not pay for travel or accommodations, so please choose a round that is near you.

Submission Guidelines

All entries to the Racer X Amateur Film Festival must adhere to the following guidelines. Not following these guidelines can lead to disqualification. 

Your video:

  • Prominently features motocross, dirt bikes, off-road motorcycling, etc. It can also include other sports/disciplines.
  • Contains nothing illegal, lewd, irresponsible, or loathsome.
  • Contains only music from YouTube’s free audio library. There’s important information about music and other assets in the downloadable assets package or click here. Don’t overlook this or your video will probably be rejected!
  • The video must be no longer than 4 minutes.
  • The video can be color or black-and-white and may be enhanced with animation, graphics, etc. We suggest paying a lot of attention to the details to make sure your video looks as finished as possible.
  • Contestant shall be responsible for securing all necessary rights, licenses, clearances, releases, consents, and/or permissions from any and all third parties that appear in the video entry and be able to present them upon request.
  • The video output settings should be optimized for YouTube.
  • You can work as a team with others, but the video must be submitted under the name of one entrant/producer.
  • Please note that Filter Publications is not associated with YouTube. You must comply with YouTube’s terms of use, and Filter Publications will not be liable for you regarding your use of (or inability to use) YouTube.

Contest Eligibility

  • You do NOT have to be a United States resident to enter. Worldwide entries are encouraged.
  • You must own the material you're submitting and be able to provide written consent from any person featured in your video upon request.
  • You must be at least 13 years of age. For entrants under 18, a parent or legal guardian must complete this form and submit it to contests@racerxonline.com.
  • Please note the following terms of eligibility regarding status as an amateur filmmaker: If you are employed as a professional videographer/video editor in action sports, you are not eligible for this contest. However, you are eligible even if you’ve been paid to do video work on a small-scale, freelance basis. If you have any questions whatsoever about your eligibility in this contest, please contact us at contests@racerxonline.com ahead of time to discuss. Amateur status will be determined solely at Filter Publications’ discretion.
  • If you are a previous winner of the Racer X Amateur Film Festival you are not eligible for the contest.
  • Filter Publications may at any time in its sole discretion disqualify any entrant who does not meet the contest’s eligibility criteria, fails to comply with these rules, attempts to enter the contest in any manner or through any means other than as described in these rules, or attempts to disrupt the contest or attempts to circumvent any of these rules.

Judging Criteria & Panel

A panel of judges from the American motocross community will pick the eight semifinalists. Viewer voting will determine the four finalists, as well as the finishing order of those finalists. Criteria for initial and final judging will include:

  • Originality/uniqueness
  • Pacing of edit
  • Quality of shots
  • Color grading
  • Sound effect/audio mix
  • Creative concept/storytelling 

Members of the initial judging panel may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Davey Coombs: Racer X Editor-In-Chief/Founder
  • Jason Weigandt: Racer X Online Editor
  • Andrew Fredrickson: Racer X Illustrated Managing Editor
  • Chase Stallo: Racer X Online Managing Editor
  • Dan Carlson: Racer X Online Content Manager
  • Kyle Scott: Racer X Online West Coast Editor

Members of the final judging panel may include, but are not limited to:

  • Wes Williams: Vurb Moto Cofounder
  • Luke Parmeter – Producer, Monster Energy Supercross Chasing the Dream
  • Danny Stuart – In-house Videographer/Editor Feld Entertainment
  • Jason Crane – Freelance videographer/Former Director of the Racer X Motocross Show
  • Simon Cudby – Racer X Videographer
  • Ryan Walters – Producer, Golden Era, Stagnation, and Youthful Edge 

Contest Timeline

Contest Starts: August 11 (Friday)

Submissions Due: October 19 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (Thursday)

Semifinalists Announced: October 26 (Thursday)

Week 1 Semifinalist Voting: October 27 – November 2 (Friday – Thursday)

Week 2 Semifinalist Voting: November 3 – 9 (Friday – Thursday)

Week 3 Semifinalist Voting: November 10 – 16 (Friday – Thursday)

Week 4 Semifinalist Voting: November 17 – 23 (Friday – Thursday)

Finalist Voting: November 24 – 30 (Friday – Thursday)

Winner and Runners-Up for Fan and Panel Announced: December 1 (Friday)

License to Filter Publications, LLC

By entering a video in the contest, you waive all rights you may have with respect to the video, including all moral rights and rights of personality, publicity, or privacy, and you grant to Filter Publications the unrestricted, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide license (but not the obligation) to use, reproduce, communicate, modify, and display the video (in whole or in part) for any purpose without any fee or other form of compensation, and without further notification or permission, including without limitation the following purposes: reproducing, publishing, communicating and displaying some or all of the video as part of the contest or otherwise; identifying you by name as the owner of the video; judging the contest; displaying the winning entries in the contest; and for Filter’s' advertising purposes, including to advertise the contest, future contests, and Filter's products and services.

By participating in this contest, you release and agree to indemnify and hold harmless Filter Publications, LLC, and its employees, directors, officers, affiliates, agents, judges, and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest or receipt or use of any prize. 

Personal Information

You consent to Filter Publications using and disclosing your personal information for the purposes of administering the contest; advertising the contest and any future contests and any of Filter Publications’ products and services; and for the other purposes described in these rules.

Laws 

The Rules will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of West Virginia, United States, and the federal laws of the United States. 

Disputes

All disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the contest, prizes or these rules will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court of the state of West Virginia, United States.

More Information 

If you have questions or feedback about the Racer X Amateur Film Festival, please contact us by email at contests@racerxonline.com.

If for any reason Filter Publications cannot run the contest as planned (including as a result of bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, infection by computer virus, or any other cause that corrupts, impairs or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest), Filter may cancel, modify, extend, or suspend the contest at its sole discretion.