With the ongoing situation of the Covid-19 outbreak in Pakistan, we were going to postpone our annual video story contest, but to give back to Pakistan's passionate creatives, we have decided to adapt and pivot the competition in a direction that aims to promote healthy and responsible community building.

Dawn.com and Deutsche Welle (DW) invite you to share positive stories; of how you're creatively coping with the new reality while practicing physical distancing, or how those around you are turning these challenging times into those of opportunity and inspiration.

Learning a new craft? Teaching someone a skill? Helping those in need?

Or do you have a story to tell about a local hero who is serving the community at this time? Is a family member, a friend, or a neighbour, working on the frontlines and helping the country run smoothly?

We are looking for videos that tackle either:
- How you have creatively used this time in lockdown to make it worthwhile and productive
- How people around you are fighting or helping to keep Pakistan safe.

Send us your entries in the form of a short video shot through a camera or your cell phone. You can also use your own (previously shot) footage or animations to support your work and be creative.

We will be accepting videos 1- 3 MINUTES in length. They can be in any format and shot in any dimension as long as they are interesting and work for a digital audience.

Video entries will be accepted between June 22 and July 28, 2020.

After all submissions are received, a jury from Dawn.com and DW will evaluate entries and select winners.

Winners will be announced on Dawn.com and its social media platforms.

- The competition is open for individuals of all ages, sexes and nationalities.
- Individuals can participate as teams; however each participant can be a part of only one team.
- Entry is prohibited to employees of, or consultants to DAWN and DW or their immediate family members.
- The entries should be original and CANNOT be a work of fiction.

Every video must follow the structure outlined below in the same order:
- Title slide including the name of the film — 3-4 seconds
- The film itself — we are ideally looking for short clips.
- End slide credits, including name(s) of participant(s)/other credits.

Participants can make the film in any language. English subtitles will be added to ALL videos at the bottom of the screen by the organisers.

All rights to the films made as part of the project will belong to the organisers, who will add a disclaimer stating so to all videos received for this contest. The organisers will share worldwide rights to the finished videos. The videos will not be used for any commercial purposes. Filmmakers will have complete rights to show and exhibit their videos.

Participants may use still photographs in the film. If any photographs are sourced from a third party, the source should be clearly mentioned on the credit list. Additional images, graphics, or material used to enhance the film should be royalty free content. All creative commons material must be credited.

Animation and special effects are allowed.

Participants must only use royalty free music/original background score for the film to avoid any copyright issues.

Candidates can participate in the contest between June 22, 2020 and July 28, 2020 by following these steps:

- Upload the final video file to a Dropbox, WeTransfer or Google Drive folder.
- Share the link to download the video to videocontest@dawn.com — the email should also include names of all participants, and a line stating that "The film has been produced following the rules and guidelines provided on the contest website, and consent is given to the organisers for owning all rights to the film".
- Wait for a confirmation email. This can take up to 3 days, depending on the number of submissions received.
- If your video is shortlisted as a finalist, you will receive a second email at a later stage.
- If you have any queries, reach out to us at videocontest@dawn.com and/or +92-331-2444651

All photo/video entries should be original and the sole intellectual property of the participant(s). Any entry found otherwise will be automatically disqualified from the contest.

During the lockdown, many of us restructured our lifestyles and got to learn new things about ourselves. Some of us also got the chance to use our time creatively and draw some joy from it.

Did you also dabble in something creative and useful?

In order to submit it for our social media contest, capture a photo of your idea/creation and post it on your PERSONAL ACCOUNT on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, using the hashtag #CreativeDistancing.

The entries have to be posted between May 1, 2020 and July 28, 2020.

NOTE: By submitting a photo to the #CreativeDistancing social media contest, you agree to giving the organisers all rights to the submission, including uploading the content to their websites/other platforms.

The content will not be used for commercial purposes. The participant will be given credit if their content is uploaded.

The jury from Dawn and DW will decide the winner for the social media contest and the final decision will be up to their discretion.

DW is Germany's international broadcaster. The flagship channel DW provides analysis and insights to viewers around the globe, reporting on important issues in English 24/7. DW is available online in 30 languages, including Urdu at dw.com/urdu.

Dawn.com is the largest English news website in Pakistan. Being Pakistan's oldest media group, the platform offers a rich, dynamic and diversified digital front to audiences all over the world.