Tell us a Mathstory

The Department of Mathematics and the Department of Education at Swinburne University of Technology invites all Swinburne students to enter this video making competition.


We would like to hear from you with a story about why a certain aspect of Mathematics is useful to our society, and why this is important to you.

In a time when many people disregard scientific knowledge or do not understand it, it is vital to communicate the value of Mathematics, a discipline once described as the

“Queen of Sciences”.

The competition is about communicating:

  • How can Mathematics be used in our society?
  • How can we make Mathematics more relevant to our lives?
  • How can Mathematics helps us solve the most significant problems of our time?

How to enter the competition:
Create an original video (between 3 and 4 minutes long) telling a story about the use of a specific piece of Mathematics and why this is important to society and you. It can be any Mathematical concept, from simple to advanced. And yes, Statistics is Mathematics!

How to submit your video:
  1. In order to submit your entry, you must first upload the video you have recorded onto YouTube. Your video needs to be in MP4 format and you should ensure that the video is available for viewing (set it to public or unlisted). This step is important, otherwise your work will not be viewable. Once your video is uploaded to YouTube, you will need to generate a link to share the video with us.
  2. Complete and submit the Mathstory Registration 2020 through the online submission form at our website.

Submission deadline:
Sunday 6 December 2020, at 23:59 AEDT

NOTES:
  1. The video can contain animation, voiceover speech, text, sound effects or music, however, you do not necessarily have to appear on it. Please ensure you have full copyright to the submitted material. This includes audio and visuals.
  2. You can use your phone to record, or any other recording device, using ADOBE Rush (or ADOBE Premier if you have more advance knowledge) to edit your video. In fact, you can use any of the ADOBE apps, which are free for Swinburne students as part of the ADOBE creative campus. Instructions on how to access the ADOBE suite can be found here.
  3. You can access tutorials for all ADOBE products within the ADOBE Creative Cloud Desktop App, and some workshops will be delivered whilst the competition is open. Look for updates on these workshops on the Student Resources page of this website.
  4. Submission of an entry will mean acceptance of the competition rules and the Terms and Conditions as outlined here.

General rules:
You can participate on your own or team up with one other student. If you don’t have anyone in mind, you can register your interest in being paired with someone else that might complement your skills or knowledge, by filling out the form on our website.

To participate, all registrants must be enrolled in a course at Swinburne.

Competition submissions must not include any endorsement of product services, or any obscene, violent, racist, homophobic, transphobic or defamatory content. Submissions must not include individuals who have not given their consent to appear.

Prizes:
There will be one 1st prize of AUD$300, one 2nd prize of AUD$200, and one 3rd prize of AUD$100.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday 15 December 2020, and notified by email as well as published on our website. All videos will be showcased in our website and social networking sites once the competition is over.

Judging criteria:
The judges will look for a creative, engaging and inspiring video. They will judge on:

Creativity/Originality
  • Is the entry the students’ own work, in the students’ own words? Is it original? The video may include personal experiences and thoughtful observations that enhance the originality.
  • Does the video clearly and effectively explain the mathematical concept to a general audience? The video may include a novel way to see the mathematical concept, or one that shows its utility in novel ways.
Message Content
  • Does the video address the theme of “How can Mathematics be used in our society? How can we make Mathematics more relevant to our lives? How can Mathematics helps us solve the most significant problems of our time?”
  • Is the chosen topic persuasive and does it reflect why it is important to be communicated? Is it compelling? Does it show how Mathematics is relevant?
  • Is the video presented in such way that the main message is effectively communicated? Is the video engaging?
Technical Organization
  • How well is the video produced in regards to continuity, timing, camera operation, sound quality, editing and adherence to time limit of 3 – 4 minutes?

The decisions of the judges will be final. The organisers and judges reserve the right to remove entries from the competition that they feel may breach any of the competition rules, the terms and conditions or may bring the competition into disrepute. Such entries will be disqualified.

rules icon
General Rules

General rules:
You can participate on your own or team up with one other student. If you don’t have anyone in mind, you can register your interest in being paired with someone else that might complement your skills or knowledge, by filling out the form on our website.

To participate, all registrants must be enrolled in a course at Swinburne.

Competition submissions must not include any endorsement of product services, or any obscene, violent, racist, homophobic, transphobic or defamatory content. Submissions must not include individuals who have not given their consent to appear.

prizes icon
Prizes

Prizes:
There will be one 1st prize of AUD$300, one 2nd prize of AUD$200, and one 3rd prize of AUD$100.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday 15 December 2020, and notified by email as well as published on our website. All videos will be showcased in our website and social networking sites once the competition is over.

judging criteria icon
Judging Criteria

Judging criteria:
The judges will look for a creative, engaging and inspiring video. They will judge on:

Creativity/Originality
  • Is the entry the students’ own work, in the students’ own words? Is it original? The video may include personal experiences and thoughtful observations that enhance the originality.
  • Does the video clearly and effectively explain the mathematical concept to a general audience? The video may include a novel way to see the mathematical concept, or one that shows its utility in novel ways.
Message Content
  • Does the video address the theme of “How can Mathematics be used in our society? How can we make Mathematics more relevant to our lives? How can Mathematics helps us solve the most significant problems of our time?”
  • Is the chosen topic persuasive and does it reflect why it is important to be communicated? Is it compelling? Does it show how Mathematics is relevant?
  • Is the video presented in such way that the main message is effectively communicated? Is the video engaging?
Technical Organization
  • How well is the video produced in regards to continuity, timing, camera operation, sound quality, editing and adherence to time limit of 3 – 4 minutes?

The decisions of the judges will be final. The organisers and judges reserve the right to remove entries from the competition that they feel may breach any of the competition rules, the terms and conditions or may bring the competition into disrepute. Such entries will be disqualified.