Democracy Video Challenge

The Democracy Video Challenge is an annual film contest featuring films under three minutes in length that complete the phrase "Democracy is…" It is part of a broader initiative called "Democracy is…" that seeks to use creative mediums to start a global discussion about the meaning of democracy. The contests use social media to foster that dialogue among people around the world.
The 2009 Video Challenge was first announced on September 15, 2008, International Day of Democracy. Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent served as master of ceremonies for both the 2009 and 2010 contest launches. Since its launch, more than 1,600 people from 111 countries have entered the contest, while nearly 3.5 million people have been engaged online. 
Process.
Each year the Challenge honors one winner from each of six regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere.
A jury selects 18 finalists – three videos from each of the six geographic regions. The winners are then selected during a global online vote on YouTube. The six winning filmmakers receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., Hollywood and New York City to meet with professionals from entertainment, government, media and civil society.
Jury.
Years jurors participated are in parentheses. Jury co-chairs are noted with an asterisk.
Spinoffs.
In January 2010 a Democracy is… Twitter contest was conducted. The contest received 1,400 entries with the winner determined by the entry with the greatest number of re-tweets. The winner received a Flip HD video camera. 
On July 1, 2010 the first Democracy Photo Challenge was announced. Like the other challenges, participants will be asked to submit photos that complete the phrase "Democracy is…" The contest entry period is slated to run July 7–28, 2010. The winners announced on the United Nations’ International Day of Democracy, September 15, 2010. The winning photographs exhibited at the UN headquarters in New York. 
Democracy Photo Challenge jury co-chairs include:
Partners.
Additional partners in the Democracy Photo Challenge include: