#whyiflow
Flowtoys Video Competition 2020
enter to win $500 flowtoys gift card & more
#whyiflow contest winner
Nadav Adiv - Israel
Congratulations Nadav! We loved how you told your story - creating a book with cartoon graphics complimented with written text; this together with your narration really got your story across, and it's one that resonates with so many people. We hope that the prize will help you spread the flow!
Runners-Up
Ella Griego - Berkeley, USA
Congratulations Ella and thank you for sharing such a personal flow journey. The video clips you chose, together with your narration, choice of music and video editing came together effectively to deliver a powerful story. This is a hard but important story to tell, and we hope that it helps heal others as well. So glad you found the flow arts to help you find yourself.
Troy Grisa - Portland, USA
Congratulations Troy - Can't tell you how much we LOVED your hip hop lyrics! They were funny, they were relevant, they beyond answered the questions. We want to work with you to make it more of a thing - let's talk!
Honorable Mentions
Katie Gutzman - Canada
Eric Ybarra - USA
Fabian Seewald - Germany
submissions gallery
There were so many amazing flow stories - this playlist compiles the qualifying entries that were submitted to Youtube. Several were posted on Instagram and Facebook as well. We hope you enjoy them as we have. You can also click here to view our YouTube playlist of #whyiflow contest entry videos :)
#whyiflow :: the contest has ended
Why do you love the flow arts? How did you get into it? How has it impacted your life?
Tell the world your flow story.
The flow arts means so much to all of us. For many, it is movement meditation, a release and recalibration after a day's work, or a respite from the topsy-turvyness of the world.
For some, it opened the door to discovering dance, movement and engaging our bodies. For others, it's taught us how to learn and grow, gave us a new skill to hone and creative boundaries to explore and express ourselves with. The flow arts have also helped so many people turn from dark places or poor habits to healthier lifestyles and supportive communities.
Public awareness of the flow arts is growing, but our artform is still a relatively underground activity. While it's starting to appear in pop culture (Did you know contact staff made it into Disney's Aladdin, levi-wand showed up in Pitch Perfect 2 and Dumplin'!), people assume we only do it to perform or entertain. The roots of circus are in entertainment, and while many of us also perform, the flow arts bring so much more into our personal lives.
What inspired you to the artform? What keeps you going?
We want to hear *your* flow story, and know what it means to you.
We'd also love to know who you are. What do you when you are not spinning?
When and where do you play and practice? Who do you spin with?
Why do you flow?
You don't have to answer these questions literally, or to answer all of them. Feel free to get creative about how you tell your story.
We did a similar video contest in 2019 for jugglers, and have done other contests in the past inviting people to define the meaning of flow and to share how it brings beauty to their lives. Check out our previous contests to see past winners and entries.
Like the flow arts, this contest is meant to be an avenue to express yourself, hone your craft and learn new skills, plus you stand a chance to win some sweet flowtoys!
We wish you all the best - learn lots and we can’t wait to hear your story!
the prizes
Grand Prize
$500 flowtoys gift certificate
Runners Up
2 runners up will each receive $100 flowtoys gift certificates
All Entries
sharing your flow story with the world, and an opportunity to level up your media and storytelling skills
what we're looking for
We are looking to hear your story, not just watch footage of your amazing tech spinning or rapturous flow, though we enjoy seeing those too.
Be yourself! You can simply talk into the camera, or share your written word or voiceover on original media. You can show actual spinning or visual representations of flow arts in your video, but we are most interested in what you have to say, and how well it comes across. We will be compiling all videos into a Youtube playlist as a gallery to share with the world.
We will accept submissions in any language, including sign language or other forms of expression, as long as your submission can be experienced in English, e.g. translated with English subtitles. Feel free to speak in your native Spanish, French or any other language and have English subtitles :)
why we're doing this
Flowtoys exists because we love to illuminate the good things in life. We never stop marveling at a person in a state of flow. Through our props, choices and actions, we strive to spread the joy of flow arts, juggling and object manipulation. We think video is an excellent way to do that, and want to encourage people to share their stories with a bigger audience.
We planned to launch this contest in the summer, but given our collective state of isolation, with workshops & festivals cancelled, and everyone being required to stay home, we feel that now is the best time to remind ourselves of why we love the flow arts, brush up our media skills, and share our stories.
how to enter
guidelines & tips
For a submission to be considered, please check the following guidelines:
Terms & conditions
Eligibility
You must be 13 years of age or older to enter. Employees and resellers of Flowtoys can submit entries, but are not eligible to win prizes.
Rights
By submitting content (videos, photos, mixed media, etc) to this competition, you give Flowtoys the non-exclusive rights to use and/or modify that content for use on its own, or with other media for educational and/or promotional purposes, in perpetuity. Practically speaking, this means we can use it on our website and social media, and you can still use the original yourself, or give it to others to use, or sell or monetize it in any way you like. We'll also love you, credit you and hook you up as best as we can.
Winners
We will notify winners via email on or before 5 May 2020. Winning entries will also be featured on the flowtoys contest page, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and our mailing list.
Official Rules & Terms