by Elpidio R. Estioko
The Asian American Stories 2025 Video Contest is on with a theme“My Gift to America” with Olympic skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi agreeing to participate in the legendary Storyteller Award.
California State Representative Ash Kalra, on the other hand, in an interview with Diana Ding at the Ding Ding TV Studio in Santa Clara, emphasized the importance of the contest, not only for Asian Americans but to all Americans especially immigrants in the US who are the backbones of the country.
He also urged everyone to participate in the contest by telling their stories, so others could learn from them. As I See It, it is a learning opportunity for all!
This is also a chance for fellow Hawaiians to join by telling their stories and their gifts to America. I know there are many Asian Americans on the Island of Hawaii who are very successful and have wonderful and rich experiences and contributions to America people need to know and learn from.
Celebrating Asian American Stories recognizes AAPI Story Tellers which kicks off the Asian-Pacific Heritage Month. The award ceremonies will be on May 1, 2025, to be held at the HL Peninsula Restaurant, 1365 Ranch Dr., Milpitas, CA 95035.
This year’s theme“My Gift to America!” is a continuation of last year’s theme of “All of Us Belong Here.”
Co-chairs Diana Ding and Joel Wong stated: “Building on the tremendous success of last year’s contest (72 entries, a dynamic awards ceremony, and a significant impact on the Bay Area’s Asian American communities), we’re excited to embark on a new chapter. It celebrates the unique contributions Asian Americans make to the fabric of our nation.”
Judging rules and contest details include the following: There will be two (2) divisions – the Youth division (ages 12-18) and the adult division (ages 19 and above); Entries need to submit a one-minute video & a 150-word essay by March 15, 2025. The video must be in MP4 or MOV format, under one minute and the essay written in English.
The theme “My Gift to America” should showcase uplifting and inspirational stories of Asian Americans and their contributions to society. Entries should be submitted in digital files (not YouTube links) and should be sent to Silicon Valley Community Media (SVCM).
The submission period is from January 15 to March 15, 2025. There is still enough time for interested parties to send their entries. The judges are waiting for your prized entries.
According to Joel Wong, the chairman of the board of judges, the Contest Rules are: “Open to journalists, influencers, content creators, organizations, and everyone deciding to share Asian American stories in the US. Content must be original and relevant to the theme. Use of external materials requires proper permissions.”
By entering, participants are granted SVCM permission to distribute videos across various media platforms.
Judging will focus on inspiration, storyline, creativity, and technical skills and the judging committee’s decision is final.
Last year’s awarding ceremonies was emceed by NBC Bay Area News Reporter/Host Robert Handa. The major winners of last year were: Tim (Jian) Zheng, 1st Place, Adult category; Sylvie Nguyen 1st place, youth category; Min Zhou, 2nd place, adult category; Samantha Quynh Huong Tran, 2nd place, Youth category; Jiayi Li, 3rd place, Adult category; and Abby Wu, 3rd place, youth category.
In sharing the contestant’s 1-minute video, board of judges chair Joel Wong said:
“The contestant will share his/her story with millions of people; engage with acclaimed filmmakers and influential leaders; get a ticket (worth $150) to the award ceremony; win $5,000 (total $20,000) in grants for the contestant’s future production; win a sponsored trip to Washington DC by UCA; and 1st 20 submissions will receive AAS T-shirt.”
Fellow Asian Americans from Hawaii, join now! The American people are awaiting to listen to your stories!
ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist here in the US. He just published his book Unlocking the Chain of Poverty: In Pursuit of the American Dream which is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Xlibris Publishing. For feedback, and comments… please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.
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