South Yorkshire Student Stories

Calling all budding Spielbergs and Scorseses….

Can you inspire the next generation of University of Sheffield students by telling them how you successfully made the transition into Higher Education?

Alternatively, can you provide some words of wisdom for promotional posters which we wish to place in local schools and colleges?

Our new competition - South Yorkshire Student Stories - provides the opportunity for you to put your experiences into film or poster content and stand the chance of winning a prize up to £250 for your efforts.

We want to showcase your work in schools and colleges across South Yorkshire to ensure future applicants to the University of Sheffield are inspired by former students of their schools or colleges.

We’re not looking for Oscar-winners, moreover creative footage that can be recorded and edited from camcorders or smartphones that goes on to talk positively about your experiences.

Entrants who don’t wish to submit film footage have the option of providing copy which can then be turned into poster content for display.

This competition is only open to 1st and 2nd year students who remain registered at the University of Sheffield and who studied at schools and colleges within the Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster or Barnsley local authority areas.

Click here for terms and conditions

Video

Information for film makers:

The University of Sheffield’s Outreach & UK/EU Recruitment Team works intensively with students of all ages to promote pathways into Higher Education and undergraduate courses at the University.

We find students in local schools and colleges tend to relate better to information that is presented to them by former students of their own schools and colleges.

And with Higher Education going through a period of change, we want to ensure that our undergraduate applicants from all backgrounds both realise their potential and get a real life flavour of what it means to study at The University of Sheffield – The Times Higher Education University of the Year 2011.

We recognise that entering a film for this competition will demand some thought and time – hence we’re offering a series of prizes for successful entries.

What Are We Looking For?

The University staged a hugely successful student film competition in 2009 called Sheffield Made Us. It attracted a large number of creative and innovative entries which showcased the many benefits of studying at the University of Sheffield, which was voted the third best university in the latest Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey – and joint top in the poll for the best students’ union, social life and student support services.

You can still see some of the competition entries on Youtube by searching on “Sheffield Made Us”

We’re not necessarily looking for films to take to the Cannes Film Festival but we would ask for good quality visual/audio. Entrants are reminded there are a number of media editing facilities across campus, including the Information Commons and the Students' Union.

We are offering the following prizes for entrants:

• £250 for 1st prize
• £150 for 2nd prize
• £100 for 3rd prize

The prizes of £25 for the next best 10 runners-up.

Entries need to be submitted by noon on Monday 11 June 2012.

Please send all entries to:
Holly Biggins
Level 1, The Arts Tower
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN

Need Some Ideas?

We are being deliberate in not setting too many rules and conditions in terms of content, but we do want entries that touch upon one or more of the following themes:

• Choosing your post-16 qualifications and early thoughts about University
• Getting It Right: Researching University courses and locations (think Open Days, web sites, etc)
• Studying at University – making the transition (think lectures, seminars, study support, field trips, revising, independent study)
• Student Life (think study support, your personal tutor, clubs and societies, sports and socialising)
• Planning for your future (think work/research experience, the careers service)
• Staying local – the best things about studying at Sheffield and staying close to home
• Making ends meet – how to budget and balance the demands of paid work and study
• Top Tips – Use your own experiences to provide a succinct series of tips for those thinking about Higher Education

It would be a bonus if, during the course of your filming, you could demonstrate the fantastic facilities we offer our students, both on and off campus.

We’d also ask that you spend at least a small proportion of your time in front of the camera.

Film footage needs to be no more than five minutes long and be submitted on a CD/DVD in a format compatible for use on the internet.

Upon submission, this film will become the property of the University of Sheffield’s Outreach & UK/EU Recruitment Team who reserve the right to make further editing of it.

Selected entries will be made available via the University’s U-Player stream and may also be offered as web content to your former school or college.

Posters

Information for poster entrants

We recognise that not everyone may be comfortable either in front of, or behind, a camera.

That is why we’re also offering you another way in which to win a prize through the South Yorkshire Student Stories competition, via promotional posters.

We are offering entrants £15 for the first 20 entries selected for use.

We'll create posters from snippets of information you provide by completing the template . We will also need a print-ready photograph of yourself in a compatible format.

Can you help us to inspire the next generation of University of Sheffield students?