So…. that giant book trailer contest I am having? It turns out that summer is a bad time to do these things.
I have had many more requests from teachers and librarians to extend the deadline into the fall than I have had entries.
Do you think I should extend the deadline? Is the middle of October long enough, or should it go longer?
The middle of October seems like a good time to me. It would give teachers and librarians a chance to introduce and discuss the book – if they feel they need to – and they can encourage kids to participate in the book trailer contest for extra credit. This would give kids a chance to delve into their artistic side and have a better understanding of the book. With the popularity that youtube has had, I think it would be a good idea to encourage teachers to introduce the contest to their students. It would probably be a good way to capture their attention.
At least, that’s how I would feel.
I’m with Ophelia (Hmm, interesting turn of phrase). Mid-October gives everyone enough time to read the book and create something, without giving them so much time they’ll be able to say, “Oh, I can do it later.”
yes, mid-October sounds like a good deadline
or maybe even the end of October. a lot of people who might have been interested in entering the competition might not have had access to computers or the programs that needed, and I imagine they’re more likely to have that access at school, but only for little bits of time every day.
I think the only reason it should be extended would be because of the way schools have their breaks. Schools will either break for or start after Labor Day, and the next real break is Thanksgiving. 4-day weekends (or longer) are pretty much standard for that time, and older siblings typically will be returning home from college for that weekend as well. Unless you really wanted them to use that break (and possibly older friends/siblings), I don’t think extending it would have a significant impact. And I agree with those above — they’ll have time to get into it, and not so much time they’ll just forget about it.
–Brian
Extend it. If you want the best entries, extend it. As a teen, I can tell you you’ll get way more, and way better entries if it goes longer. Teachers & librarians know this. They’re awfully smart folks 🙂
Middle of October sounds good!
Extend it
It would be good to expand it for multiple reasons.
1.) Teachers can introduce it and encourage (if not make an actual assignment) kids to do it.
2.) The contestants will have full access to school by this point, which is beneficial for filming. They can also use school computers, which might have better software for editing and such.
3.) The longer submission time allowed, the more submissions will be received.
As a middle school media specialist (librarian), I was crushed that the deadline was so early. I would love it if you extended the deadline. But, it’s also your contest; use the deadline that fits best with all of your other commitments.