contest :: #whyiflow

#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!

#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!

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.

#whyiflow

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

  • Create and share your flow story in the form of video (5 minutes max)
  • Be creative! Tell your story - in words, pictures or in action. Write a poem, comedy skit or share a stream of consciousness. No limits here, except for the 5 minute max.
  • Post your entry to youtube, share on facebook and/or instagram
  • Entries must have title/description that include "flowtoys 2020 video contest" AND hashtag #whyiflow - you are also encouraged to tag other relevant & popular flow arts hashtags
  • Complete your entry by clicking on the "submit your entry" button and filling out the google form
  • Submit your entry through the contest link below
  • All entries must be received by Thursday, 30 April 2020 (11:59PM Pacific Standard Time)

guidelines & tips

For a submission to be considered, please check the following guidelines:

  • Videos should be maximum 5 minutes in length.
  • Glow, fire and daytime flow (or a mix) are all welcome.
  • Technical ability is less important than overall impact of your story - so have fun and be creative! Inspiration can come from the simplest moves.
  • Your entry should be well lit/clear and easy to see. Do your best to minimize visual and auditory graininess.
  • Background music is encouraged, but ensure you have rights to use it.
  • Production and overall video quality will be considered, so don’t be afraid to get creative, set up some lights and shoot in HD. However, even the lowest quality footage with the most inspiring story might win!

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

  • No purchase necessary to enter or win. The Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law.
  • Contest entries will be accepted between 23 March 2020 and 11.59PM Pacific Time 30 April 2020. Once submitted, entries become the non-exclusive property of Flowtoys, Inc. (“Flowtoys”).  By entering this contest, you agree to all of the terms and conditions relating to this contest and you are responsible for understanding Your Rights.
  • By entering, you agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Flowtoys, its affiliates, resellers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives, from any and all third party liability for any injuries, loss, claim, demand or damage of any kind arising from, or in connection with the competition (collectively, "Losses"), including without limitation any third party claim for copyright infringement or a violation of an individual’s right to privacy and/or publicity right. 
  • Each entrant in the Contest ("Entrant") is responsible for ensuring that he or she has the right to submit the photo(s), image(s), music or video that he or she submits to the Contest. Entrants must be thirteen (13) years of age or older at the Start Time of the contest.
  • You agree that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved with Flowtoys, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a court of competent jurisdiction without regard for rules of conflicts of law. In any such dispute, participant shall not be entitled to any punitive, special, indirect, incidental or consequential damages, including without limitation attorney's fees, or any damages, and waive any rights to have damages multiplied or increased. The Contest and Flowtoys’ website are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied.
  • Flowtoys is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the contest, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to the contest, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. Flowtoys is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telecommunications network or lines, computer equipment, servers, providers, software, or failure of email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, including injury or damage to participant's or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating or uploading images or information in the photo contest.
  • If, for any reason, the contest is not capable of completion as planned, Flowtoys reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest.