National French Week Media Contest

Guidelines:

• The video/animation must relate to the contest theme. Please preview the projects before submitting to ensure that they meet the contest standards and theme. 
• Minimum length: 30 seconds. Maximum length: 3 minutes.
• No copyrighted figures (Snoopy, Astérix, etc.) accepted.
• Videos with references to alcohol, drugs, or violence will not be accepted.
• Background music: Please do not use copyrighted music in the video or as background music. While it does add to the appeal of the video, it is not acceptable use.  Royalty-Free background music options:

1. Fractus learning blog - 5 free and legal options for student project music

2. Adobe Education Exchange - Royalty-free music suggestions

3. Pixabay

• Each entry must be the original work of a current French student or group of students whose teacher is an AATF member for 2026.

Submit contest entries HERE. Please submit one project per form -- if you have multiple entries, please submit multiple forms. The project must be viewable by the judges, but the projects should be marked “unlisted” until the awards have been announced.  For ideas on past submissions, visit the AATF's YouTube page and search the 'AATF | Program Advocacy | National French Week' playlist. 

• • YouTube videos should be “unlisted," NOT private. Anyone with the link should be able to view.  YouTube is the preferred sharing option. 

  • NB: With Google’s new “Content for kids” regulations, we will not be able to feature any video posted under a student’s account. The videos will be judged, but we cannot save them to the YouTube Contest playlist or share them on the contest blog. If possible, please use a teacher/adult account. 

  • All submissions via Google Drive / docs MUST BE accessible to any viewer. 

    • If using a school account, click the “ADVANCED” button under SHARE and choose “Open to anyone/public on the Web” 

    • If a submission requires permission, it may NOT be considered for competition. Please check the permissions with your students before submitting. 

  • Submissions via iCloud: Please check the link permissions. iCloud links sometimes expire before the videos are rated. 

  • Submissions via Powtoon or other video creation tools: Please check permissions and link expiration.

Visual impact, relevance to the theme, and originality. All videos become the property of the AATF and may be used in AATF publications or materials. The winning videos will be posted on the AATF's YouTube channel. First, second, and third place winners of each division will receive cash prizes.

• Submissions that are obvious projects for a class project that does not relate to the theme will not be rated. 

• Visual impact, relevance to the theme, and originality are the key points to a successful project.  

  • Relevance to theme: This criteria allows for variety in interpretation, but a cooking video for the “The Future is French” video does not relate.  

  • Visual impact: Does the video go beyond a seated figure reading from a cue card? 

  • Originality: Did the video producers integrate new ideas for the theme or presentation style? 

  • Presentation: Was the presentation effective in conveying the theme and students’ message?  

  • Content: Was the video engaging, purposeful?   

  • Organization: Is there a logical progression to the project? 

  • French language use will receive extra credit. 

    • Obvious Google Translate scripts will not receive extra credit. 

    • Our judges are generous in awarding points for French, but if the language is not mostly comprehensible, fewer points will be awarded.  

In recent years, judges have noted that many videos rely heavily on France and
stereotypes of the French (mustaches, berets, striped shirts, croissants, baguettes, etc.) We invite you to challenge your students to look beyond the French Revolution, impressionist artists, and Coco Chanel. Try to integrate the francophone world and current francophone artists, music, clothing, trends, and food.