Frequently Asked Questions

The competition is open nationwide to all Filipino youth aged 15 to 30 years old currently residing in the Philippines.

All entries must be accomplished individually to ensure fairness in evaluating personal science communication skills. However, there is no limit to the number of individual participants coming from a single school or organization. We highly encourage multiple members from the same group to join and tackle different prompts!

No. Participation in the SIBOL Sci-Comm Challenge is 100% free.

Yes! There is no limit to how many students from each school can submit.

No. Each participant is allowed to submit only one entry.

No, this challenge is strictly for Filipino individuals residing in the Philippines as the competition covers environmental issues happening in the Philippines.

No. Anyone who is passionate about the environment, science, and creating videos can join, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

Please check out our Contact page.

No! The prompts are there to provide inspiration and direction. You may choose your own specific science/STEM topic, provided it clearly falls under one of the five main topics:

1. Energy and Geopolitical Conflict

2. Global Water Bankruptcy

3. Export-Oriented Mining

4. Biodiversity Loss

5. Coastal Development and Reclamation

Yes, as long as you can connect it to one of the 5 topics.

Any topic that falls under the STEM category can be used. A non-exhaustive list of fields include:

• Natural Sciences, including

  • Life sciences (cell and molecular biology, ecology, anatomy and physiology, etc)

  • Physics

  • Chemistry

  • Earth Science

• Formal Sciences, including

  • Mathematics

  • Computer Science

  • Statistics

• Engineering

• Social Sciences, including:

  • Economics

  • Psychology

  • Sociology

  • Anthropology

Absolutely. While we provided examples (e.g., peasant farmers, indigenous peoples, coastal women gleaners), you can highlight any specific marginalized or vulnerable sector in the Philippines, as long as you clearly connect the hard science to their lived realities.

You may use English, Filipino, or a mix of both (Taglish). We encourage whatever language best helps you "un-gatekeep" the science for a mass audience.

Yes! We require a list of sources in any format you wish upon submission. You DO NOT need to include it in the video itself. There is a section in the submission form where you can input your sources.

Videos must be strictly 1 to 2 minutes long (60 to 120 seconds). Entries exceeding 120 seconds will be automatically disqualified.

No. You have full creative freedom. You can use voiceovers, kinetic typography, animations, or B-roll, provided the core explanation is originally yours and effectively communicates the science.

As long as the music does not violate copyright, yes. We recommend using royalty-free background music if needed in order to not face any technical challenges in submission (e.g. parts of the video getting muted due to copyrighted content.

You may use AI tools to brainstorm or aid in writing, but the script, voice, and core explanation must be entirely your own. If you use AI for any part of your production, you must explicitly declare the tool and its use in the Google Form submission.

Yes you may, provided that they do not violate any copyright. Please read this article to learn more about copyright.

There is none, but we recommend submitting in 9:16 portrait format as it is the most optimum format for the platforms to be submitted on.

You can definitely have friends, classmates, or family members appear in your video as actors, extras, or even co-narrators. However, please note that since this is an individual submission, the official entry, certificate of participation, and any potential cash prizes will only be awarded to the single registered participant who submits the form.

First, upload your video to your public TikTok, Facebook Reels, or Instagram Reels account. Then, copy the direct link to that video and paste it into the official SIBOL Submission Google Form before the deadline (April 8, 11:59PM).

April 8, 2026 at 11:59PM.

Your caption must include the official hashtag #SibolSciCommChallenge and tag the official Saribuhay UPD account (@SaribuhayUPD on IG/Facebook, @saribuhay.upd on TikTok) on the platform you are using.

In order to be considered for awards, the video must reach a minimum of 100 likes on your chosen platform. This requirement fulfills the "science communication" aspect of the challenge where your piece must reach the public. You are allowed to promote your video any organic means (asking friends or family to like, promoting on Facebook Groups, etc) but you are prohibited from using paid advertising.

No. While you are free to cross-post your video to reach more people, you must select ONE (1) primary link to submit to our Google Form. The required minimum of 100 likes must be achieved solely on that submitted link to qualify for the final judging phase.

Your video submission must have at least 100 likes by April 15, 2026.

Your account must be set to "Public" for the entire duration of the competition. If our Secretariat or Judges cannot view your link, the entry will be invalidated.

No, upon clicking submit your submission is final. The caption is not part of the judging process so any changes to these do not have any effect on your grade so you do not need to worry if you forgot to add the necessary hashtags and tags.

No, but we highly recommend to attend.

Entries will be evaluated by our panel of judges using a 50-point rubric: Scientific Accuracy (20 points), Illumination/Clarity (10 points), Engagement (10 points), and Creativity (10 points). You can view the full detailed rubric on the Mechanics page.

Please check our Judges page for the full list of judges.

The awards are given for the overall highest scorers from the judging period. They will not be given per topic. The overall awards are as follows:

• First Place Php 2,500

• Second Place Php 1,000

• Third Place  Php 500

• Popular Vote* Php 500

* Awarded to the video with the highest number of likes by April 15, 11:59 PM

The finalists and winners will be officially announced and screened during YABONG, Saribuhay UPD's Earth Day Celebration happening on April 22, 2026 in UP Diliman.

No, your physical attendance to any event is not a requirement to win an award as part of our mission to make this competition accessible. If you win, you will receive your cash prize and certificate regardless.