With Earth Day on April 22, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is hosting its second annual video contest to engage young people about environmental protection and to inspire them to become part of the solution to climate change.

The global theme for Earth Day 2022, “Invest in Our Planet,” is focused on solving climate change, encouraging everyone — government, citizens and businesses — to do their parts.

The DNREC Earth Day video contest invites students to produce and submit a 30-second video to answer the question, “If you were in charge of the world, what actions would you take to improve the health of our planet?”

The contest is open to Delaware students and will be judged in three grade categories: K-4, 5-8 and 9-12. Entries must be original, unpublished and created solely by the entrant. Submissions must be accompanied by release forms for any students appearing in the video, signed by their parent/guardian. The deadline for entries is 4 p.m. March 18.

Judging will be based on the following criteria: message/theme, visual effectiveness, originality/creativity and universal appeal. The judging panel will include at least one professional from the fields of education, journalism, science and videography.

Winners will be announced in a ceremony on or around Earth Day. They will receive a certificate, a $500 gift card, an annual pass to Delaware State Parks and a prize bag.

Winning videos will be shared on DNREC’s website and social media networks. For more information or to submit a video, visit here. To watch videos from last year, visit the @DelawareDNREC YouTube channel.