Mechanics

The competition is open to all youth (individuals from 15 to 30 years old) residing in the Philippines.

• Entries must be accomplished individually. Group submissions are not allowed to ensure fairness in the evaluation of an individual’s science communication skills.

A participant may only submit ONE (1) official video entry. This video entry must cover only one prompt from the five given.

There is no limit to the number of participants coming from a single school or organization, and multiple individuals from the same school or organization are highly encouraged to join and tackle different prompts.

Participants have the freedom to make the video in any way they see fit (as long as they do not violate Section C4). Creativity in the video-making process is highly encouraged. As further clarification:

There must be one clear science topic that the video is centered around. This topic (which includes those mentioned in the provided guide questions) may be in fields of Natural Sciences (Life Science, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science), Mathematics, Engineering, Economics, and Technology.

The video must primarily focus on science communication. While tying the science to socio-political realities and the protection of marginalized communities is highly encouraged, the hard science must lead the narrative.

Videos must be strictly 1 to 2 minutes long. Videos exceeding this time limit will be automatically disqualified.

Videos may be conducted in English, Filipino, or a mix of both (Taglish).

To be tracked properly on the platform, all video captions must include the official competition hashtag: #SibolSciCommChallenge

The script, concept, and core explanation must be the original work of the participant. Plagiarism of existing YouTube videos, documentaries, or articles will result in immediate disqualification. Participants will be required to submit a list of references in the submission form, but references are not required to be embedded in the video itself.

Participants are allowed to use royalty-free stock footage, images, or graphics to aid their explanation. If using copyrighted materials, it must strictly fall under the bounds of Fair Use for educational purposes.

While participants may use AI tools to help brainstorm or generate background graphics, the actual script and explanation must be written by the entrant. The video must demonstrate the individual’s genuine understanding of the scientific concept. If AI is used, participants are required to cite the platform they used and what they used it for.

Videos must not contain profanity, hate speech, harassment, or dangerous unsupervised scientific stunts. Entries will be pre-screened for these elements and if found will be disqualified from the competition. Moreover, we will ask entrants who post videos with these elements to take their videos down.

The participant’s TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, or Instagram Reels account must be set to "Public" for the entire duration of the competition so that the organizers and judges can view and verify the entry.

Videos must be posted on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, or Instagram Reels by the deadline. To qualify for the final judging phase and the Popular Vote award, the video must garner at least 100 likes on the designated platform during the designated Engagement Phase (until April 15, 2026).

• Participants may cross-post their video on multiple platforms, but they must choose only ONE (1) primary link to submit in the Google Form. The required 100-like minimum must be achieved solely on that single submitted link. Likes across different platforms cannot be combined.

• You are not allowed to use paid ads to promote your video.

Posting is not enough. Official entries must be formally submitted via the designated online Google Form by providing the video link and the individual’s contact details. Late submissions will not be entertained.

By submitting an entry, participants grant Saribuhay UPD the non-exclusive right to download, repost, compile, and publicly screen their videos across the organization's official social media platforms and physical events for non-commercial, educational, and promotional purposes.