CASNR Change Maker Competition

CASNR Change Maker Graphic

How Do You Want to Make a Difference in the World?

Sponsored by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR)

Here is your chance to share what you will tackle to leave your mark on the world.

Do you have an idea for making a difference in the world? Pitch us your idea in a 2-minute video. If your idea is selected you could earn a CASNR award and have the chance to work directly with mentors on tackling your big idea.

Multiple winners will be selected.

Competition is open to all individuals in the following categories:

  • 6th – 11th grade students
  • Incoming college freshmen or transfer students for 2024-2025 academic year
  • Returning CASNR undergraduate students for 2024-2025 academic year

Create and submit a video on one or more of the following grand challenges:

  • Knife Fork and Plate Icon Feeding the World
  • Water Droplet Icon Water for the Future
  • Wind Turbine Icon New Energy
  • Sunrise Icon Climate and the Future
  • Hand holding plant icon Biodiversity, sustainability, and environment
  • Heart rate icon Health
  • Globe icon Engaging diverse communities
  • Leadership icon Developing tomorrow’s leaders
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What should your video pitch include?

  • What is the challenge that you will focus on?
  • What is your idea? Must be an original creation
  • How will achieving your idea lead to a better world?
  • Alignment of your idea with one or more of the University of Nebraska’s aspirations
    • Learn in new ways
    • Do big things, create new ideas
    • Embrace collaboration
    • Include all as we work together
    • Believe in the power of every person

Your submission may utilize any production techniques and artistic composition as long as it is no longer than 2 minutes, is on topic, complies to the rules, and is appropriate. A submission may not contain offensive, libelous, sexually explicit, disparaging or other inappropriate content and may not defame or otherwise violate the rights, copyrights, trademarks, or rights of publicity, privacy, or reputation of any third party. A submission may not contain any material to promote sale of a product or service.

To submit a video, entrants must complete the online entry form and submit their video.

The Competition opens December 1, 2023 and will close at Noon on February 1, 2024, U.S. Central Standard Time. All entries must be received prior to the closing date and time in order to be considered.

Submission Rules

Submissions will be accepted from all eligible individuals. Each entrant is solely responsible for the information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages, tags, and other materials included in the submission, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted.

A submission must be original and the entrant must (1) hold all necessary rights to all the materials, images, videos, graphics and information in the submission or (2) have permission from the holder of such rights, or (3) the materials, images, videos, graphics and information in the submission must be in the public domain.

Applications will be accepted from all interested parties.

How to Enter

Entrants must select one competition category at the time of their entry. Each individual contest participant is restricted to one submission only. Entrants must fill out all required fields on the entry form and submit a video. After submitting the application, the entrant will be notified via email.

Enter Here

CASNR Change Maker Spotlight: Isabella Villanueva

Isabella Villanueva

Meet CASNR Change Maker award recipient Isabella Villanueva, a junior fisheries and wildlife, and environmental science double major from Lincoln, Nebraska. She is working to coordinate a fundraiser to help plant native and pollinator plants in the community.  Learn more about Bella’s project here.

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"Change Maker" Winners Will Receive:

Returning CASNR undergraduate student

Two Winners Selected

  • "Change Maker” $5000 Funding for 2024-25 academic year
  • CASNR media features of Change Maker

To receive a “Change Maker” award, you must enroll in a CASNR degree program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the 2024-25 academic year.

Incoming college freshmen/transfer student

8 Winners Selected

  • “Change Maker” worth $5000 for 2024-25 academic year
  • Live out your big idea
  • Connect with a mentor
  • CASNR media features of Change Maker

To receive a “Change Maker” award, you must enroll in a CASNR degree program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the 2024-25 academic year.

An Additional Opportunity to Win for Incoming CASNR Freshmen

People’s Choice Change Maker Award

  • The winner of the People’s Choice Change Maker Award will receive a textbook award for up to $1000.
  • The judges will select from all submissions a subset of videos to compete for the People’s Choice Change Maker Award. The winner of the People’s Choice Change Maker Award will be determined by the number of “likes” a video receive during a week in the spring. Contest winners will receive more information after the deadline for the competition closes.
  • It is anticipated that the subset of videos selected by the judges to compete for the People’s Choice Change Maker Award will be announced on the CASNR website. These People’s Choice Change Maker Award finalists will be informed of their status via email.
  • The selection of the People’s Choice Change Maker finalists will be at the sole discretion of the judges.

To receive a “Change Maker” reward, you must enroll in a CASNR degree program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the 2024-25 academic year.

6th-11th grade students

8 Winners Selected

  • “Change Maker” $1,000 Funding
  • Personalized campus visit (in-person or remote)
  • Lunch with the Dean of CASNR
  • CASNR Team will visit their classroom (in-person or remote) to recognize the Change Maker Winner
  • CASNR media features of Change Maker

To receive a “Change Maker” award, you must enroll in a CASNR degree program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

“Change Maker” winners will be selected based on videos judged on:

Submissions will be judged by a panel appointed by the Dean of the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) that includes current CASNR faculty, staff, and students. Members of the judging panel will consider the following criteria in making their selections:

  • Creativity in the content selection and presentation;
  • Alignment with one or more of the following Grand Challenges:
    • Feeding the World
    • Water for the Future
    • New Energy
    • Climate and the Future
    • Biodiversity, sustainability and environment
    • Engaging diverse communities
    • Developing tomorrow’s leaders
    • Health
  • Effectiveness in highlighting how your big idea will leave your mark on the world and will lead to a more sustainable, healthy, secure, and/or joyous world
  • Overall presentation quality
  • The decisions of the judges are final and incontestable.

Except as otherwise provided above, whether any Submission is selected as a winner, and the final amount of any Category Award, will be at the sole discretion of the judges.

Additional Requirements and Disclaimers

By entering this competition, each individual entrant (and for individuals under 19 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) grants the University of Nebraska (UNL) a worldwide nonexclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use the video, or any portion thereof, for UNL purposes, and grants UNL a world-wide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use the entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, voices, sounds and/or biographical information for advertising, publicity, and promotional purposes.

If selected as a winner, each individual (and for individuals under 19 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) hereby agrees to irrevocably grant and assign exclusively to UNL all rights, including copyright interests in the videos, under all laws, treaties and conventions throughout the world, in all forms, languages and media, now or hereafter known or developed without limitation. Use, publication, or dissemination by winners of their respective video may be permitted at the discretion of UNL, as approved in writing in advance by UNL.

Submitting a video to this competition does not guarantee that the submission will be displayed or used by UNL.

Use by UNL of a submission does not necessarily reflect the views of UNL, and in no event shall UNL assume or have any responsibility or liability for any Submission, in whole or in part, or for any claims, damages, or losses resulting from the use and/or appearance of any submission or the contents thereof.

UNL reserves the right to refuse any submission in its sole discretion. UNL also reserves the right at any time during the competition to remove or disqualify any submission when it believes in its sole discretion that the entrant has: (i) infringed any third party's copyright; (ii) failed to comply with these Terms and Conditions; or (iii) failed to obtain the necessary consents as set out in these terms and conditions.

Video platforms (TikTok, YouTube, etc.)  are not affiliated in any way with UNL, and UNL does not assume any responsibility or liability for an entrant’s participation in or use of any third-party website.

UNL shall not be liable for any claims, costs, liabilities, damages, expenses, and losses arising out of (i) UNL's use of the submission; (ii) the entrant's participation in the competition; (iii) technical failures of any kind including but not limited to problems or delays arising from software or equipment malfunctions or computer viruses; and (iv) any events outside UNL's reasonable control.

By entering this competition, each individual entrant (and for individuals under 19 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) represents and warrants that: (i) the individual is the sole author, creator, and owner of the submission; (ii) except for material used by permission, none of the intellectual property rights in the Submission, or any portion thereof, has been assigned or transferred to anyone that is not the entrant; (iii) the submission, through its creation and its submission as an entry, does not violate any applicable laws; (iv) the Submission, through its creation and its submission as an entry, does not infringe upon or violate intellectual property rights held by any third person or party; and (v) individual entrants will abide by and are in compliance with all intellectual property protection requirements of YouTube.

Any entrant who supplies false information, enters the Change Maker Competition Video Contest by fraudulent means, or is otherwise determined to be in violation of the eligibility criteria or terms of the Change Maker Competition Video Contest shall be ineligible for any prize and shall be required to forfeit any prize obtained based on such information or means.

By entering a submission in the Contest, each individual entrant (and for individuals under 19 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) agrees to comply with and be bound by the official rules and decisions of UNL.

All references to UNL contained herein refer to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources on behalf of the University of Nebraska.

Winners will be notified in writing via email by:

  • Incoming freshmen and transfer students: February 18, 2024
  • Returning CASNR undergraduate students: March 1, 2024
  • Future CASNR students (6th – 11th grade):  March 10, 2024

This Contest is void where prohibited. The Contest shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Nebraska.

Corteva Logo

Portion of program made possible with funding from Corteva Agriscience.

Any questions regarding this competition should be directed to Sue Ellen Pegg at spegg2@unl.edu.