Video competition to help Brazil solve resources problems

Children and young people can play their part in helping to secure future supplies of food, water and energy in Brazil with the launch of an exciting new global video competition.

Leicester researchers, working with a team led by the University of Birmingham, are calling on young talents in Brazil, the UK and around the globe to produce and submit a three-minute video that captures the theme ‘Food, water and energy in my everyday life’.

The 'Food-Water-Energy Challenge ’links Brazil to the rest of the world and is open to anyone aged 10 to 25 at any school, college, university or youth organisation in any country. The winners will be chosen by a popular vote on the video sharing website YouTube.

It is part of (Re)Connect the Nexus  - a two-year research partnership with Brazilian experts from Sao Paulo State University (UNESP). The project also involves experts from the UK Universities of Northampton and Leicester

Entries are welcome from individuals or teams of up to four people and the competition closes on 31 December 2016.  The research team will shortlist entries and online voting on YouTube opens on 10 January 2017, with the winner and runner-up based on the highest number of 'likes'.

Competition winners will be announced in mid-March 2017 receive prizes for both themselves and their school, college, university or youth organisation.

The study area is the metropolitan region of the Paraíba Valley and North Coast, State of Sao Paulo. Researchers chose this so that they could evaluate issues and relate them to different factors such as where young people live - urban, suburban or rural – as well as age, gender, class and ethnicity.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and FAPESP as part of the Newton Fund, the project will use innovative research techniques to engage with young Brazilians aged up to 24 to learn about their experiences of food, water and energy.