contest :: life is beautiful

video competition 2014 :: life is beautiful

the contest is now closed

Many of our lives have been positively transformed by the flow arts. For some of us, the shifts have been of life-changing magnitude. For some, picking up our props brings little daily moments of joy, peace and connection.

Many of us spend hours working at a computer or doing repetitive tasks; we come home, pick up our poi, staffs, clubs or wand, and our day melts away. Some of us spin with friends, many of us spin by ourselves. We have all experienced something awesome from the artform.

This international video event is an opportunity to showcase how the flow arts brings beauty to life, and brings new life to beauty.

Contest Winner :: Life is Beautiful - Jack Ober

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 much as we have.

watch here


why we're doing this

Simply put, the flow arts make our lives more awesome every day. We never stop marveling at the beauty of an artist in flow. And through our props, our people, and our actions, we are always striving to spread the joy of the flow arts to a larger community. 

We think video is an excellent way to do that, and we want to encourage people to share their flow with a bigger audience through video. This competition is a little first step in giving back to flow artists who are brave enough to share their passion with a larger audience. We're proud to serve such awesome folks!

All the best,
the flowtoys family

what we're looking for

  • Videos should be 2-5 minutes in length, and showcase your vision of how the flow arts makes your life beautiful. Be creative with content, but please include some footage of you spinning your favorite prop(s).
  • Glow, fire and daytime props (or a mix) are all welcome. Individual, troupe or community submissions are also welcome.
  • Technical ability is less important than overall awesomeness - so have fun and be creative! Tell a story! Inspiration can come from the simplest moves.
  • Production and overall video quality will be strongly considered, so don't be afraid to go on location, set up some lights and shoot in HD. However even the lowest quality footage might trump the rest with the most inspiring performance!
  • Although you're welcome to edit and re-use old footage, all videos should be new uploads to YouTube.
  • Videos should open with a title card that say "flowtoys - life is beautiful", plus your video's title/name/troupe name, if applicable.