By Lautaro Grinspan, News Correspondent 

Students applying for co-op jobs for next semester and awaiting interview offers are now welcome to participate in the annual Coolest Co-Op Video Contest. This contest, sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs, is open from Nov. 1 to Jan. 17 to showcase the crème de la crème of co-op programs available at Northeastern.

Students interested in partaking in the contest should submit a two-minute video about their experiential learning, showing what made it stand out. All videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges who will pick first, second and third place winners – each of whom will cash in $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively, for their efforts.

Director of Student Programming & Communication Emily Hardman said she believes the contest, although lighthearted in nature, serves an important purpose.

“We were looking for a fun way to encourage students to showcase their cool co-op jobs in a creative way,” she said. “It’s just a nice way of learning about the amazing things Northeastern students are doing, and video tells a story in a way that people really respond to.”

The contest, which is being held for the fifth consecutive year, has attracted more entries each year.

“Last year we received 23 entries, which was our best year ever,” Hardman said, “Each year we receive a few more than the previous year; we hope and expect to exceed 25 [in 2014].”

Besides changes in student participation levels, the contest has also experienced slight changes in format since its inaugural edition, with the video time limit being shortened from five to two minutes.

“Two minutes is enough time to tell the co-op story and remain engaging,” Hardman said.

One thing that has stayed constant over the years though, is a dedicated group of judges. The judges, who number eight this time around, are experts in either communication, video or the school’s co-op programs. Most have kept their roles as judges from year to year.

Senior Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Christine Hathaway has served as a judge for the past three years. As such, she said she has her judging routine rather figured out and knows what to consider, things like the quality of sound, their message about Northeastern and how they articulate co-op positions and responsibilities. Ultimately, Hathaway said she finds her judging duties enjoyable.

“It’s always great to view the talent of our students and understand more about what they do,” she said.

Students planning on giving the contest a whirl this year and in need of inspiration need not look further than the event’s website, which hosts the videos of past winners, including that of senior communications major Nicole St. Germain.

Because she wanted a video editing project to work on, and loved her co-op at WBZ CBS Boston, St. Germain submitted a contest entry last year and got third place.

“Don’t worry about video quality, mine was less than professional. Focus on the message and tell a good story,” St. Germain said.

Last year’s big winner was senior marketing major Scott Keenan, who produced a video about his time doing co-op at Reebok. After watching the video of the previous year’s winner, Keenan said he knew he wanted to participate in the contest, and made it a goal of his going into his co-op experience. Looking back, Keenan said he knows what made his entry stand out.

“Well, I think I had a step up on everyone else as far as production is concerned, because I was a video and film intern,” he said. “My technical video shooting and editing skills were well above the average person’s. Content-wise, I made a real effort to make sure my co-op video showed that even though my co-op was fun and cool, I worked very hard and there were plenty of parts that weren’t fun or cool. I showed that the experience was educational and beneficial to my learning and career.”

Kennan was awarded $1,000, which he used to pay bills and buy a $100 lens for his personal camera.

Those interested in participating in this year’s contest must fill out a contest entry form (available  in the Student Affairs Office) and, once the videos are finished, post them on YouTube and email them to [email protected]. Winning videos will be featured on several Colleges’ websites, the Admissions home page, the Northeastern University YouTube Channel and several social media platforms including the Student Life blog, and on the Matthews Arena video board.