Video contest to promote Cambodian, Southeast Asian youth action in food consumption, waste management

The Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is looking for short videos on “Youth in Sustainable Food Consumption and Waste Management” by young Cambodians and other Southeast Asians.

The video entries may reveal personal experiences, practices, or advocacy that showcase how young people contribute to sustainable food consumption and food waste management, explained SEARCA in a press release.

Branded as the SEARCA Youth COVIDeo Contest, the competition aims to spotlight healthy diets, responsible food choices, and proper disposal or use of food waste, particularly during the pandemic, it added.

The contest is open to citizens of Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam ages 15-35, the same source pointed out.

Why a focus on the youth? According to SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, “there is merit in mobilising the youth as consumers of food and potential innovators to transform food systems.”

Dr. Gregorio, a United Nations (UN) Food Systems Champion, said the 2021 edition of the SEARCA Youth COVIDeo Contest resonates with the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit global actions to transform food systems, including how food is produced, consumed, and disposed.

He explained that the contest will take stock of youth solutions and actions on sustainable food consumption and food waste management, and how it is linked to a sustainable agri-food system.

Now on its second year, the Youth COVIDeo Contest is an initiative of SEARCA’s Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI).

Dr. Gregorio said the first prize is US$500, while the second and third prizes are $350 and $150, respectively. He added that US$100 awaits the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

The deadline of submission of entries is September 30, 2021.