BBB® Arkansas Student Video Contest

BBB provides several core services that fulfill our mission to advance marketplace trust! Each year, the BBB selects a core service or tool for the year's Student Video Contest theme.

This year's theme is BBB Scam Tracker℠. Student teams will use the BBB Scam Tracker tool and resources from BBB.org to learn about a specific scam type and create a video to help others avoid these types of scams. Students will direct viewers to the BBB Scam Tracker tool at BBB.org/ScamTracker to research and/or report scams.

Please use the following resources to learn more about the theme:

BBB Scams HQ (Start here to choose your topic!)

BBB Scam Tracker℠ (Use the tool to research for your video and/or get footage)

BBB Scam Studies (For more in-depth information on your chosen scam type and statistics)

2024 Scam Tracker Risk Report (Highlighting the riskiest scams of the previous year)

How to Spot a Scam (For tips and resources you can share with viewers of your video.)

Examples of student videos using this theme

Your call to action link will be: BBB.org/ScamTracker

The BBB Scam Tracker logo is a registered service mark.

1. Your video should follow the 2026 theme by highlighting a common scam. (See "2026 Contest Theme" section for resources and ideas!)
2. Your video should highlight BBB's Scam Tracker as a resource to help research and report scam activity! 
3. The video should include the BBB Scam Tracker logo. Download your copy here! 
4. Your video should include a call-to-action, directing viewers to this link: BBB.org/ScamTracker.
5. The student video contest provides real-world experience in branding, marketing, and content creation. Videos should be creative, good quality (at least 720p, 1080p preferred), follow BBB brand guidelines, and respect the Scam Tracker logo service mark (see brand guidelines section for more information).

• FIRST PLACE: The first-place team will receive $2,500 for their school and a $250 gift card per team member.
• SECOND PLACE: The second-place team will receive $1,500 for their school and a $150 gift card per team member.
• THIRD PLACE:  The third-place team will receive $1,000 for their school and a $100 gift card per team member.

PLEASE NOTE:

In the event of a tie, the cash prize for the school will be split between the tied schools. The student award will not change. (For example, School A and School B are tied for third place. School A will receive a $500 award, and School B will win a $500 award. Students from School A and School B will recieve $100 gift cards.)

If two teams from the same school place within the top 3, the school will be awarded the higher prize amount rather than two separate cash awards.

BBB and Student Video Contest judges may choose to award teams outside of, or in addition to, the winning categories above. 

Please read below to ensure you don't miss important dates.

February 13th: Deadline to enroll teams

Teams can enroll as early as August 1st, but teams must be registered before February 10th to be considered. Teachers will determine when and where students can work on video projects. 

March 13th: Deadline to submit entries

Video submissions are approved by teachers and uploaded by students. Entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 13th. (Please reach out with extenuating circumstances.)

March 16th: Phase 1 voting begins

Video submissions will be uploaded to BBB's YouTube page and the marketing portion of the contest begins. Teams are encouraged to use their social platforms and other networks to market their work and encourage engagement (likes and comments)  with their video.

April 3rd: Phase 1 voting ends

Any engagement received after midnight on April 3rd will not be put towards the final score. Judges will review and choose the top 3-5 videos (depending on submission volume) that move forward.

April 6th: Phase 2 voting begins

The top 3-5 videos will be shared on BBB’s Instagram page and students will promote their videos and solicit engagement (likes and comments) on the BBB Instagram page for one week.

Week of April 13th: Pitch meetings are scheduled with the judges

Pitch meetings are scheduled where the top teams present their video to judges virtually, explaining how they developed their concept, produced the videos, and field questions from the judging panel.

Last week of April: Winners announced

BBB will announce the winners of the competition via a virtual live ceremony on the BBB Arkansas Facebook and YouTube. Winners will also be recognized at BBB's Torch Awards for Ethics in the fall. (Winning students will receive complimentary tickets to the awards ceremony.)

Forming your team: 

• Teams must be approved by a teacher or school admin.
• Individual teams should include no more than 4 students.
• Team members must attend the same school.
• Team members can be comprised of students from different grades.

Video Creation Guidelines:

• One video may be entered per team.
• Teachers and parents must help ensure that the completed project is solely the work of the student teams.
• While we do not completely discourage the use of AI in your videos for help with scripts and ideas, the completed video must be created by students and NOT generated using AI tools. Please follow your school's guidelines on the use of AI. 
• The video needs to be submitted by the deadline to qualify for entry. Videos submitted past the deadline will not be considered unless approved prior. (See timeline tab for more info.)
• The long-form video should be approximately 60 seconds or less. (Videos that exceed this time limit may face a deduction in score. Videos that are significantly longer or shorter will be sent back for further edits.)
• The minimum format resolution is 1920*1080. (Should be a horizontal, rectangular video.)
• The sound quality must be high enough that it can be picked up by YouTube’s automated closed captioning for accessibility purposes. (Most phones and or lapel mics will work!)
• The video needs to feature the BBB theme for the year. 
• The target audience for this video is the general 15 to 24-year-old audience.
• The video should include a call to action. (See theme section.)
• The video should follow BBB Brand Guidelines. (See branding section.)
• Teams are encouraged to use TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts to create a short video to drive traffic to their long-form video. (If so, please tag @bbbarkansas so we can see!) Students can also use other marketing tools at their disposal.

Phase One: All video submissions will be evaluated based on the criteria below.

• 30% production quality and creativity
• 30% representation of BBB's chosen theme and branding
• 40% engagement (likes/comments on your video on BBB’s YouTube page)

Phase Two: The top 5 videos selected to advance will be evaluated a second time, based on the criteria below.

• 35% production quality and creativity
• 20% marketing and engagement 
• 20% representation of BBB's chosen theme
• 25% presentation to judges

The top 5 teams will meet with our judges for a virtual "pitch meeting" before final scores are totaled. Students should prepare to field questions from the judges and "pitch" their video. (Why should your team win the contest?)

Judges may want to know why you chose your topic, how your video was made, how your teams were chosen, etc.