Last Chance to Watch & Vote for 5-Minute Documentaries

Voting ends this Wednesday (9/15) for the ViewChange Online Film Contest, which showcases "powerful five-minute films that tell stories of progress in developing countries" and illuminates "how the world is working together to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals."

The contest is sponsored by LinkTV.org, the online component of Link TV, "the first nationwide television network dedicated to providing Americans with global perspectives on news, events and culture." The Website currently serves 4,300-plus international documentary video segments and programs, with 3.4-million views per year.

The video contest is designed "to raise awareness, inspire action, and accelerate the worldwide movement to reduce extreme poverty by 2015," and "to show the personal stories behind these global targets [and] how development efforts are helping the world's poorest people to improve their lives."

For videojournalism practitioners and enthusiasts, here is an opportunity to see dozens of examples of high-quality work from around the world.



A $20,000 Grand Prize goes to the overall winner, plus $5,000 to the winner of each category:

* Sustainability

* Innovation

* Overcoming Conflict

* Empowerment

* Leadership & Governance

* Local/Global Partnerships

Online voters will help determine the finalists in each category. Winners will be chosen by a distinguished panel of judges from many fields, including actor and UN Ambassador Danny Glover and US Senator Daniel K. Inouye. Videos of winners and finalists will be broadcast on Link TV and other television channels worldwide, and be available for high-quality streaming at ViewChange.org.

One of our favorites, Sierre Leone: Where Every Pregnancy is a Gamble, is co-produced by distinguished videojournalist Ami Vitale:

After a decade-long conflict, Sierra Leone has many challenges ahead including improving child and maternal health. In 2009, one in eight women died during pregnancy. Fatimata Konte, an expecting mother, fears giving birth after already losing five of her children. She hopes the new policy to bring free health care to all pregnant women will save her next child and make giving birth safe for all women.

For more contest info, go here. Watch and vote here.