Atlanta Nonprofit, Hope Givers, Launching 2021 “Hope Film Challenge” March 1-31 for Students to Develop Their Storytelling Capabilities

Finalist films to be featured nationally on PBS LearningMedia and Georgia Public Broadcasting; Winner to receive $2,000 prize

Atlanta, GA – HOPE GIVERS an Atlanta-based nonprofit that aims to create educational opportunities to help transform mental health, equity, and well-being for all has a partnership with the Georgia Department of Education for a new series, Hope Givers with Tamlin Hall. The series is DOE Health Standards-aligned and will be available to middle and high schools across the nation, set to release in September 2021 on PBS LearningMedia and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

To combat the isolation and mental health challenges COVID-19 has brought to students and educators across America, Hope Givers has launched its inaugural HOPE FILM CHALLENGE. The 2021 Hope Film Challenge is an inclusive initiative to make substantive advances with connectedness in schools with students and trusted adults as well as support 6th-12th Grade student filmmakers in producing short film content (30-90 seconds) to practice their craft and further develop their storytelling capabilities in telling stories featuring hope and resilience.

To qualify, you must be a student in Grades 6-12, work with an education mentor located in your school, and submit a video.

If selected, Finalists will have their short student voice films featured in our series Hope Givers with Tamlin Hall that is distributed nationally on PBS LearningMedia and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The winning Student Filmmaker will receive $2,000 Hope Grant to be split between the Student Filmmaker ($1,000) and their Education Mentor ($1,000).

The film challenge will launch on March 1st, 2021, and then close on March 31, 2021. Applicants will be narrowed down to up to 8 finalists that will be announced on April 22nd, 2021. The finalists will be interviewed from May 3-7 at Georgia Public Broadcasting Studios in Atlanta, GA, and the final grant recipient will be announced on May 11th, 2021.

Any student in Grades 6-12 located in the United States of America can apply.

Tamlin Hall, Founder of the nonprofit Hope Givers and host of the Hope Givers series, states that, “Research shows that even brief autobiographical storytelling exercises can have substantial impacts on psychological and physical health. We have developed a platform for students to have a voice. We need students to be advocates for themselves and for other students who are going through these extraordinarily challenging times. By discovering a creative way to get students connected to trusted adults in their schools through our Hope Film Challenge, students across America will come out of COVID-19 with more resiliency plus the added protective tool of having a trusted adult in their school who will help them face everyday challenges.” 

Visit https://hopegiversga.org/filmchallenge for more information, FAQ, and to submit your film. Follow Hope Givers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @HopeGiversGA.