[From Rootstrikers.org – http://www.rootstrikers.org/campus_remix_challenge ]

In 2010, the same year as the infamous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC,62% of young people polled by Rock the Vote said “I probably won’t vote this November because no matter who wins, corporate interests will still have too much power and prevent real change.” Coincidence? We didn’t think so.

That’s why in the Fall of 2012 Rootstrikers launched a national campus team to help empower students to take a stand against corruption. Leaders from ten universities formed Rootstrikers chapters and immediately got to work tacking up flyers, giving speeches, and hosting events. What they’ve done in just two semesters has been amazing.

The University of Texas gathered on the steps of the state capitol, rallying to amend their campaign finance system. Campus leaders across the nation got their representatives “On the Record” about the corrupting influence of money in politics. And most recently, students at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University helped make Rootstrikers’ 2013 conference a huge success.

The campus team has proven that it’s ready to raise the stakes, and we’re ready to help make that possible. So to end an amazing year, a challenge:

Lawrence Lessig recently asked Rootstrikers to remix his TED talk We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim, and to help spread awareness about the corruption that cripples our government. We know that many of you are already working on remixes, and so to encourage you to think big, we’ve decided to turn the task into a competition for the best, most inventive way of describing how this problem affects your generation.

Between now and July 22nd, submit a video/audio/slide or any kind of creative presentation about the corrupting influence of money in politics to [email protected]  and we’ll pick three creators to reward with endless admiration and some tuition assistance:

• First place: $2500 + the opportunity to present alongside Lawrence Lessig at your school.
• Second place: $1500
• Third place: $500

The possibilities for remixing Lessig are endless, and the only rules are:

• You must use Lessig’s TED talk.
• Your submission must contain audio or visual components.
• You must license your work CC-BY-SA so others might remix it and spread the message further.

Sign up on our website and we’ll mail you a thumb drive with the source files you’ll need to get started. Then just submit your remix to [email protected] by midnight on July 22nd — no late submissions, no excuses.

Good luck!