contest :: meaning of flow


flowtoys video contest 2010 :: the contest has ended

Wow - almost 50 heartfelt entries! We had no idea when we did this that so many people would participate, or that your entries would be so amazing given the short notice! Seeing the diversity and ways that flow and flowtoys have touched so many brought tears to our eyes (more than a few times). Thank you all so much for sharing.

It has been an incredible 2 weeks watching your videos and we were very moved by every single one of them. Selecting a "winner" was challenging and I think Patrick Ablir best expressed it on Facebook when he said this is a contest where everyone wins.

However we had to choose one person to receive the Ultimate Flowkit and that person is ... Mark Husted!

There were many excellent videos, but Mark's had just the right blend of clear, concise storytelling, full spectrum perspectives ranging from personal to universal, in addition to being well executed. Congratulations Mark!

There are a number of other videos that stood out and we want to give them props here. We will also be sending these peops some surprise gifts :D -- don't ask, it's a surprise! These videos are exemplary of any one or more of the following traits: flow philosophy, poetry, production quality, articulation, descriptions of life-changing experience and general awesomeness.

Meaning of Flow Contest Winner :: Mark Husted

Submissions Gallery

There are a number of other videos that stood out and we want to give them props here. We will also be sending these peops some surprise gifts :D -- don't ask, it's a surprise! These videos are exemplary of any one or more of the following traits: flow philosophy, poetry, production quality, articulation, descriptions of life-changing experience and general awesomeness.

You can find all the videos on our youtube channel playlist below.

meaning of flow


what we're looking for

  • Be yourself! We'd love to see you simply talking into the camera, or experience your written word or voiceover on original artistic video content of any kind. 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 not be giving extra points for flow-arts footage, but it won't hurt either, especially if it ties in nicely with your description.
  • We will accept video submissions in any language, including sign language or other forms of expression, as long as your submission can be experienced in English, for example translated into English subtitles.
  • Your video entry must be posted to Youtube AND the highest quality version must be e-mailed to us, or sent to us in a downloadable format. Any typical video format is fine, H264 is ideal - it's a video format option on most cameras. If you don't know what that is, don't worry about it. We all love seeing good quality video, but don't sweat it such that you don't enter - we want to hear what you have to say more!
  • 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.
  • Title should include 'flowtoys' + 'meaning of flow' somehow

why we're doing this

Flow! What does flow mean to you? We'd like to hear about it. How you got into the flow arts, what it's done for your life, your favorite moment of flow... anything that is inspiring and meaningful about flow as it relates to you and flow toys... sorry snowboarding, surfing, driving, writing and cooking don't count this time.

We are specifically looking for words, not footage of flow - that will be a different competition :)

This competition was only announced on our website and Facebook page; we chose not to post it publicly or on our email list, as we wanted to reach out to our immediate community and give y'all a chance to introduce yourselves and win sweet rewards for your participation.

It's one of the ways we wish to thank you all for supporting us through our development and evolution.

And we are building a stronger Flow story. We all know how much Flow means to us, and how it's changed our lives. But we also struggle with the challenge of describing to our mothers/co-workers etc. what we do, why we do it and what it does for us. We'd love to be able to send your video to our grandmother saying, “Hey Grandma, check it out, this is why I do it, and I'm not the only one!” We'd also love to create a video that y'all can send to your friends and family, who don't quite get it yet ;) Thank you for being part of our collective Flow story.

All the best,
the Flowtoys family