Congratulations, Niskayuna High School!

Niskayuna High School's entry "Nisky Spirit" has been named the 2008 winner of the "How Cool is Your School?" video production contest. You can watch the videos of the top five finalists on News 9 On Demand, channel 1009, through July 31.

 Watch the full interview with the winners on capitalnews9.com

"How Cool is Your School" winners from Niskayuna High School

Voting complete
Thank you for voting! Thousands of votes were cast between May 8 and May 21, helping us to narrow down the list of entries to the top five. Voting was one part of the judging criteria. Professional judges also analyzed the videos and determined the winner.

Here are the five finalists (alphabetical order by title):

• "Five Reasons Shaker is Cool" (Shaker High School)
• "How Cool is Shen?" (Shenendehowa High School)
• "Mad Cool!" (Schenectady High School)
• "My School is Cool" (Guilderland High School)
• "Nisky Spirit" (Niskayuna High School)

NEW ON DEMAND CHANNEL > See what all the buzz is about!

> See full voting results

Press Release
To find out more information about the "How Cool is your School?" Video Production Contest, read the press release.

Purpose
Time Warner Cable’s “How Cool is Your School” Video Production Contest is designed to encourage and challenge local students to use their creativity to promote their school’s unique spirit while also developing their video production skills. 

Eligibility
Time Warner Cable’s “How Cool is Your School” Video Production Contest is open to all high schools within Time Warner Cable’s service area.  A teacher or club mentor must sponsor and be responsible for the supervision of the student team but will not participate in the production of the video. All final entries must include the principal’s consent for contest entry and the principal’s contact information.

Guidelines

Complete guidelines and rules are available on the official rules page. Highlights include:

• Create a video that answers: HOW COOL IS YOUR SCHOOL?
• The video can be staged as a short play, commercial, news broadcast, talk show, music video, animation, documentary, etc. Use your imagination!
• Send it to Time Warner Cable “How Cool is Your School” Video Production Contest, 1021 High Bridge Road, Schenectady, NY 12303, postmarked no later than April 25, 2008.
• Videos should be at least five (5) but no more than eight (8) minutes in length. Credits will not be counted towards length. Those exceeding eight (8) minutes will be disqualified.
• Videos must be delivered in DVD, DV Cam, or DVC Pro format.
• Each entry must be accompanied by a completed entry form.
• Materials to help support your entry and all required forms will be mailed to you after registration.

Judging criteria

• Relevance - How well does the video answer the question: How Cool is Your School?
• Effectiveness - Is the message clear and compelling? Is it entertaining, motivational or otherwise interesting?
• Production technique - Is the video well-made? Are the sound quality and lighting good? Are the images in focus and in frame? Has the video been edited to create smooth transitions between shots and scenes?
• Creativity - Did you utilize a creative approach to demonstrate your school’s coolness?
• Marketing - Did you get the word out about the contest?  Send us any samples of posters, e-mails, promotions you did with your entry. 

Prizes
The winning school will:

• Be featured in a News 9 story
• Have its video featured as “winner” on News 9 on Demand - channel 1009
• Win a $1,000 gift card to use for the purchase of new video/editing equipment

The winning students will:

• Receive a tour of CNN’s New York City studio (limited to eight participants)
• Each receive a “How Cool is your School?” 2008 winners T-shirt
• Plus more!