Student Video Challenge

The ASIANetwork Student Video Competition provides opportunities for students to express themselves creatively in a multimedia video. Option 1 facilitates focused and direct interaction between students at ASIANetwork and Asian undergraduate institutions. Student teams will examine a current global issue from a comparative perspective and, in a multimedia video, present their conclusions. Option 2 invites U.S. students (solo or team) to present their research results on the program theme in a video.

Winning Entries will be promoted on the ASIANetwork website and featured at the Annual Conference.

Program Overview

Option 1: Multimedia Collaboration between Asian and U.S. Undergraduates

Each team will consist of two to four undergraduate students, one or two from an ASIANetwork member institution and one or two from a higher education institution(s) in Asia. All participating  student members must be enrolled at undergraduate institutions at the time of the preliminary, on-line team application (November 2, 2026).

At the ASIANetwork member institution

  • Domestic and international students are eligible to participate. Only one team member may be an international student from Asia.
  • A faculty member from the ASIANetwork member institution will serve as advisor for the team.

At the higher education institution(s) in Asia

  • The two undergraduate students may be from the same institution or from two separate institutions in the same or different Asian countries. Students who are currently studying in the United States are not eligible, but former study abroad students to the U.S., who have returned to their Asian institution, are eligible.
  • The team will produce a video (5-minute maximum) based on the year’s theme.
  • The completed video will be submitted to the program director by the faculty advisor. 
  • Winners will be chosen by a selection committee made up of experts in Asia/global affairs, media, and film.
  • The winning team’s work will be featured at the annual conference. The faculty advisor of the winning team will be invited to the annual conference with a complimentary registration fee. A certificate and $100 award will be presented to each student member through the ASIANetwork institution.
  • The videos of the winning teams will be promoted on the ASIANetwork web site and featured at the Annual Conference. 

 2027 Challenge Theme

Crossing Currents: Confluences, Conflicts, and Connections
The Student Video Challenge theme recognizes the challenges and opportunities in education about Asia, Asian diasporas, and Asian American/AAPI studies created by the shifting landscapes of geopolitics and our societies. We invite submissions that explore how movements of people, ideas, technologies, and ecologies intersect, collide, and resonate across Asia and the Pacific.

Option 2: Individual or Team Project (Multimedia Research Presentation)

  • Students of ASIANetwork member institutions are eligible to apply. (Both domestic and international students)
  • Students can submit their work individually or as a team.
  • Students can choose any topic as long as it is within the scope of Asian Studies, Asian American Studies, and diaspora studies.
  • 5-min video production.
  • $100 prize for the winner (i.e., If two students worked on the submission, each of them will receive $50.)
  • Submission will be made by a faculty advisor.

Application Procedures

The faculty advisor submits a preliminary application to the Program Director. Deadline: November 2, 2026)

  • A list of team members (name, major/minor, year,  contact information, university)
  • Name and contact information for the faculty advisor
  • Project title with a 250-word abstract

By November 16, 2026, ASIANetwork verifies eligibility and agrees to accept the video submission.

The faculty advisor submits the video to the program director.  Deadline:  January 22, 2027.

Winners announced by March 1, 2027

Project Evaluation Criteria

Jurors made up of faculty members and professionals with expertise in Asia will use the following criteria to select the winning submission.

  • Originality & Clarity
  • Depth & Breadth of Content
  • Organization
  • Citation of Sources
  • Videos must be no longer than 5 minutes

Program Director 

Hiroaki Kawamura, Associate Professor of Japanese, University of Findlay