For a fourth great year, the Office of International Activities Destination BU Challenge is helping outstanding international students share their remarkable journeys with thousands of people around the world — and everyone on campus. Now it’s your chance to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winners Chisom Okoro and Janine Campbell.

Through the Destination BU Challenge you will:

• promote an understanding of the challenges international students overcome and the energy and eagerness you bring
• showcase international student* travel to Brandon
• engage with the broader BU community and Brandon/Westman region
• Win a share of $1,000 in prizes to help pay for your education!

* eligibility open to enrolled Brandon University international students

Project Details

We want you to create a series of social media posts documenting your departure from home, your travel, your arrival in Canada, and your arrival at BU. Simply use your preferred social media app to record and share content in the way that is the most natural for you.

Any social media is okay (Facebook, Instagram, or Tik Tok are preferred). Videos are often the most natural and compelling, but still photos or photos with animated effects are welcome as well – so long as they can be shared in the same format and tell part of the same story. Ideally, the videos share what you are doing, as well as how you are feeling (excited, nervous, anxious, eager).

Content should include:

• Departure from home (a bit about your home, final family meal, packing, saying goodbyes, travel to airport, etc.)
• Travel (highlight length of travel, departing, transit, and arrival airports, takeoffs and landing, what do you do on the plane?)
• Arrival in Canada (what’s different from home? what’s the same?)
• Arrival at BU (what are your experiences, what are you looking forward to? Prefer: include a shot of you at the bobcat statue in the courtyard)

Deadline

Deadline for submissions is September 17, 2024.

Prizes

This year we have two grand prizes! $500 for the submission that chosen as the best through our online ballot, and $500 for the one chosen as the best by our selection committee.

Submission Requirements

• Total length – maximum 4 minutes video, 25 photos, 500 words.
• All should be available at the same shareable link — for e.g., a single Facebook album, one Instagram highlight, or a Tik Tok playlist).
• Link must be visible to the public. You may need to adjust your settings so that all users can view your content. If you cannot change this setting on a per-post basis, and prefer to keep your profile private, you may wish to create a new account for this contest.
• Send a link to your content to international@brandonu.ca. Make sure to send from your BU email address, put “Destination BU Challenge” as the subject line, and include your student number and preferred name.

Copyright

Canadian law protects all original creative works under the Copyright Act. Simply put, this means that you must have permission to use any images, audio or video that were created by someone else in your Destination BU Video (learn about copyright). When creating and sharing works on social media, you assume all liability for potential copyright infringement.

Judging

The Office of International Activities will work with the Communications Office to review submissions and overall social media profiles for appropriateness (explicit language or graphic imagery may be disqualified) and to share with the community. One winner will be based on online votes, and the other will be decided based on the votes of our selection committee.

Did you enter last time?

No problem! We’d love to see a new submission with your latest journey! Please note, however, that previous prize winners are ineligible to win again.

Enter Now