NEWS RELEASE: Antipodean version of Ontario Mining Association’s SYTYKM celebrates its first winners

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

An e-mail received recently from the Land Down Under has served as a reminder that the launch of season seven of the Ontario Mining Association high school video competition So You Think You Know Mining is just around the corner. “Inspired by your initiative, South Australia’s first Dirt TV winners have been announced. I am sure you’ll enjoy the winning entry,” said SACOME (South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy) in the e-mail message.

The 2014-2015 version of SYTYKM will be offering prize money of $42,500 to Ontario high school film makers, up from $40,000 in season six. The deadline for entries is being set at March 30, 2015. Watch the OMA website www.oma.on.ca. Further details will be provided soon.

Now back to the Southern Hemisphere. Earlier this year, Jason Kuchel, Chief Executive of SACOME, said that on a visit to Toronto he was so impressed with SYTYKM that he knew he had to adopt it at home.

“The SYTYKM competition’s growth over recent years is remarkable and truly inspirational,” added Mr. Kuchel. “The competition works on so many levels, including building community awareness of the benefits of the sector, increasing understanding of career opportunities among high school children and addressing the science and arts curriculums with a practical, real-world example that is also a lot of fun.”

Dirt TV is a video competition for high school students in South Australia with the theme “what mining means to me” or “what oil and gas mean to me.” At its inaugural awards gala, $10,000 in prize money was presented and the big winners were James Haskard and Lachlan Blake for their video “Mining: So good it’s nearly a crime.”

Mr. Kuchel said “Mining: So good it’s nearly a crime is a fantastic example of what can be created without high-tech equipment, the need for special settings, or effects, but simply using a clever idea, excellent script and fantastic execution.” South Australia’s Treasurer and Minister for Mineral and Energy Resources Tom Koutsantonis opened the awards ceremony.

Mirroring SYTYKM, Dirt TV offered prizes in the categories Best Overall, People’s Choice, Best Music, Best Writing and Best Director. There were also two special commendations including one for animation. Further information on this can be found at http://www.dirttv.com.au and http://www.sacome.org.au.

Closer to home, SYTYKM is supported by comprehensive web-based resources and a social media network that includes Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Production ideas and past winning entries are all available on the OMA website.

From a modest start in October 2008, the SYTYKM competition has grown to attract a large number of solid and creative entries from across the province. We look forward to receiving more exciting and imaginative video productions for season seven. The best of class will be recognized at the Royal Ontario Museum in June at the SYTYKM awards gala. Oscar-style trophies – and cheques – await the winners.