Help us give an Italy scholarship away, who is your favorite?

me+ italy and shiz what were by far the best videos. I had a hard time deciding which one to vote for. peanut allergy was a close thirs, but the second one in my opinion was pretty unoriginal, and i can't believe it's in second place!!! I hope the first or last one wins - they were awesome!!!!

First of All, I'd like to congratulate all. Everybody has show their best effort here. I am one of the video makers. the "Be Creative. Be Gene. Be Jose"

Anyway, when i saw the "me plus italy" video. I gave up :) yes, I gave up. It is really beautifully edited and thought. MY vote goes to her. ! Gene, Jose, I hope to meet you in person. Good luck all!

its surprising that a contest for a workshop to further your photography skills is being led by a "kids say the darndest things" video. How about giving some respect to the 3 who actually turned in some work and leave the babies on youtube.

me+italy is incredible!!!!!
I am costa rican and tried not to be biased by this, but is absolutely the best scholarship request, I am sorry is in third place right now, hope this'll change!!!!

Sure, kids are cute. But, please, "me + italy" is objectively the best video!! She should win!

from reading about what the contest is about i'd have to give it to the fourth video simply because of the amount of effort probably needed to get a kid to be as outgoing as he is. on top of that its very cleverly edited. while it doesn't have the "wow" factor that some may be looking for i (actually) can't stop watching it because it makes me laugh, over and over and over.

the last 2 vids were the most entertaining, the third one was very cute. the first 2 from an editorial stand point were on point. i can see why the second video would be included, the subtlety and precision of the focus work, the simplicity of content. and Polaroid, a finite medium.

me + italy = my vote. B E A U T I F U L

Well, based on the stated rule, "All votes must be cast here in the comments section" it looks like me+italy will win. Just sayin' :)

Oh, and it has my vote too!

Definitely "Shiz-What?"

The contest is about being creative, funny and memorable. Me + Italy is incredibly well made, but the thought behind it isn't very creative.

Take me to Italy kinda falls into the same category as Me + Italy.

Peanut allergy...kinda funny, but not the best.

Shiz What is creative, different and funny as hell. We know anyone who would go on this trip would be inspired or "blossom", no reason to repeat that. Make the video funny and clever and memorable...like Shiz What. (I think I've watched it at least 30 times and laugh every time).

I wish we could see links to each photographer's sites so we could see their work.

i can't stop laughing from watchin Shiz What!!!

All great. But I think Shiz What takes the cake. Funny, cute, different, too the point, clean...just a great little clip. I want to see this kid do commercials!

Tough call between Me + Italy and Shiz What...

...Ok, i want the kid to get a hockey stick! Maybe I'll send him one myself!

But really, so brilliant! Vote: Shiz what!

i've gotta echo what another poster said- shiz-what is the only video i keep watching and keep being entertained by. while some of the other videos are good the first few times they simply don't give me the emotional roller-coster the shiz-what gives- funny, adorable, sincere (at the end) and it just makes me want to give the kid a damn hockey stick myself.

"me + italy" is very, very...... very.... very well done! And, it really says something. I'm an industry visual effects artist and supervisor and love to see something that is very creative and out of the ordinary. I love to see stories told without dialog. That's one of the biggest strengths behind "me + italy". I also like the fact that you see the person behind the work (within the video). I'm assuming she's the one acting in it. If this is a contest about a person winning a scholarship... I like the fact this person is directly involved both behind and in-front of the camera. Great Job!

Don't get the fuzz about Shiz what, yeah it's really cute but don't think that that's what the competition is about, or did I missunderstand something? Maybe it's my Swedish genes talking, but go Peanut!

shiz-what, its just fabulous and hilarious. the contest entries can be about any subject or matter the contestants chose. me+italy is second in my book, but far off from shiz-what.

I mean, it's really funny but not that creative...youtube is full of cute kids saying cute stuff.

shiz-what- besides being cheeky and downright runny, the kid plays hockey, which we do a lot in TORONTO!!! my vote is for him.

who says this contest had to be focused on creativity only? it should be for the best overall video. i submitted one of my own, which didn't get picked, but out of the four listed i think shiz-what is intelligent, bright and crafty.

Mr Toronto, vote Peanut Allergy for Sweden and Mats Sundin!

me + Italy wins hands down. Shiz what is funny but this is not a kid comedy show, and it does not show artistic ability whatsoever.

fredrik- good choice for commenting, but i can't vote for someone who is swedish, i still remember the 94 olympics in lillehamer. shiz-what still has my vote.

Ohh wow... When you asked for people to send in videos...I was thinking... Let me tell you why I want to go to Italy in 12 seconds! Those are crazy creative! ha

Steve is totaly right. {{its surprising that a contest for a workshop to further your photography skills is being led by a "kids say the darndest things" video. }}

Very unprofessional for the original 'photography purpose"

I have to agree with pretty much all of you.. video #1 "me plus italy" is BY FAR the best video. The little boy in the 4th is very cute, but that is a pretty lame reason to send someone to a photography workshop.. send someone who actually used some artful skill to make their video. It is looking like the cute kid will win though, too bad because "me plus italy" deserves it SO MUCH MORE!!!!!!!!

#1 was amazing, #2 could run as a national spot right now, #3 was clever, #4 was adorable. Can't you take them all????

I loved video #1, but voted for #2 b/c of the simplicity and slickness. I'd love to see what she would do with Italy!

Any chance they could clue us in on the background tracks in these videos? Pretty evocative. I can see using some of the music as well.

about 200 votes in 10-15 minutes??!?! doesn't seem like it's one person/one vote if u ask me, more like some people resetting their IP-addresses... fair?

me + Italy is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!!!!!! VOTE VOTE VOTE FOR me + italy

yeah, me + italy has picked up 200+ votes in 35 minutes when they had 290 at noon, sounds fishy to me........

I'd hate to see people cheat at something like this...

Guys, it's an awesome opportunity, but it's not THAT big of a deal.

I was thinking the same thing but didn't want to say anything...don't want to point out any particular video but it does seem a bit "fishy".

In anycase, good work everybody! Great videos! Maybe Gene and Jose should choose the winner...

Wow...all are great videos deserving of the attention you gave them for us to see.
In 12 short seconds 4 individuals gave you humor, creativity and passion for knowledge...I love all 4.
I voted for the humorous one because i was drawn to the cute creative begging ability the uncle had to do to make his nephew do the bit.
I am also drawn to the Me+ video for the incredible detail and artistry she took to make a statement with all imagery. She may be the one needing to do a work shop instead of you fellas! That was just amazingly great. I wish I could vote for both. The others were wonderful as well...oh man...how to decide? Good luck to all the makers for being brave and for doing such a fabulous job in 12 seconds!

I think most of these videos are wonderful; however some people don't seem to get the fact that the competition was about originality and creativity not about a particular subject such as photography.
My vote goes for Shiz-What, I think the kid is wonderful, there was a great editing job done. I liked #1 but I think it lacks originality, everything was done on the computer. I think #4 deserves to win...good luck to all!

Kudos to all who submitted videos, I can't imagine how much time went into them. When it comes down to it the video that really grabbed my attention was shiz-what with the cutesy little boy.

Shiz-What should win. There's nothing saying the competition is about photography—only the prize. If you can get a 4-year-old to sit still that long and cooperate, I think you should win just for that. Needless to say, it's clever, hilarious, VERY well edited and just plain cute.

Also, I hope Me + Italy isn't cheating...her numbers seem a bit odd jumping by 250 in under 30 minutes...

someone here is strate trippin, that kid is off da chain! who care if it aint as artistic, its mad funny. that kid need a grill peece, then it'd be funnier.

Shiz-What is too funny! Reminds me of my kid!

Well, if we're talking about numbers that are jumping: when I looked at the results about an hour ago shiz-what had about -200 votes. They are both doing alot of "jumping"....!!

I say stop cheating, and let J and G pick a winner. Or draw lots! I'm sorry but if you cheat you don't deserv to win...

dear fredrick, jason and mona. there is NOTHING fishy about her video jumping up in numbers. it is all about PROMOTION. i blogged it on my my blog, a local blog here called YOUR HEART OUT blogged it as well. i can't speak for the other sites that are promoting her video, but i get a large amount of traffic, especially on fridays, and especially during lunch time :).

she is being heavily promoted, which, no offense, is what everyone else in the running should be doing as well :).

for what its worth ana, the shiz-whiz dude runs an adult social sports organization (which i play in) with over 3000 players, and he just sent another email out about an hour ago. maybe it makes sense?

I agree with Ana...though Shiz-What was about 250 ahead this morning...I don't know who's cheating and who isn't (I can guess who isn't), but I think some entries are looking particularly fishy.

Gene and Jose...I think you should pick—maybe ask the photographers to submit their sites to you so you can see their work and have that add in to the equation...

Best of luck everyone. (My vote was for Take Me To Italy)

the contest info said: BE FUNNY. vote Shiz-what?!

I love all the videos though!!!

again, there is nothing fishy going on. its all about PROMOTION. how can you be so surprised that someone goes up 250 votes in a half hour?

check the promotion here:

http://yourheartout.com/?p=5781&cpage=1#comment-65313
http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2009/06/vote-for-allison-cox-italy.html

and all over facebook...

I'm sure everybody has been doing their fair share of promoting, specially on facebook. I saw that Christopher Becker had a tweet about "peanut allergy, he also has quite many follwers, and also saw another blog which was promoting "take me to italy" (I think). So I don't think promotion accounts for all the votes...250 votes in half an hour isn't surprising per ce but when you consider the amount of votes in total untill then it is a bit curious, not impossible but a bit strange. Specially when you look at the pace of the voting which has been very consistant, hasn't fluctuated at all after it started going fast.

and now on the uber awesome WELL read oh happy day...

www.jordanferney.blogspot.com

"ME + ITALY" for the win!

Hello everyone, this is Allison the girl behind me plus Italy. Thank you all for your support for all the videos posted. This has been fun. Although Its kind of sad that people think I'm cheating. I can assure you that i'm not. I doubt anybody is cheating. I wish everyone good luck and thanks again for everyone nice words.

Well said Allison. I think with such an awesome opportunity at stake and with such a competitive talent pool, everyone is getting really excited and wants to make sure it's a fairly fought competition.

I tweeted Gene and he said that everyone can only vote once...that should settle it. PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE!

Shiz-what? was the most entertaining and I can watch it over and over again. I actually liked #2 over #1 but what do I know..
:)

Oh man I love them all...but the shiz-what made me laugh. I had to watch it several times. All the kid wants is a hockey stick. aww.

I really loved the creativity in number 1 and 2 and even 3. #1 was amazingly edited..beautiful!

Take me to Italy/I want to be inspired - by far touched me the most. It should win because it inspired me. P.S. all were great.

Allison, you go girlfriend!

more link love for ME+ITALY

http://www.designmom.com/2009/06/design-for-other-90-other-links-big-and.html
http://nicolehill.blogspot.com/2009/06/vote-for-allison.html

less than 2 more hours! go allison!!!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted for me (take me to italy - video number 2), I really appreciate your votes & support! <3 Good luck to everyone!

Well, now it's just not fun anymore. Are people voting more than once? Is that allowed?

I don't think anyone's cheating. The two leaders just may be promoting more, blogs, diggs, twitter, facebook, twirhl...there are billions of ways to get links out to people...

GO Me+Italy, GO!!!!

I agree with you Jason, now a days it so easy to contact people. My vote goes for the little guy though, I think it's cute and very creative, loved the way it was edited!!!

Oh and PS. I don't think anyone is cheating either. :) With the power if the internet being what it is, numbers jump, sometimes dramatically. :) Particularly during lunch hour.

me + Italy has my vote. Sorry is the shiz what kid even speaking English?

Allison... you are amazing. Will everyone take it easy with the cheating comments and just accept that promotion can actually work if people have enough followers? "me plus italy" was being promoted on several high traffic websites and all over facebook from fans. so anyways, good job allie, yours was amazing.

me + italy unbelievably creative! master film making in 12 sec!~

Itally..ahhhhh

I have to say that I'm amazed at the way the voting seems to be going...
That, and I also find the above comments to be mystifying...

I think the real question people should be asking when judging this contest is "which person would I want to shoot my wedding?"...The "me + italy" video isn't original and the "shiz" video is? What? Really?
No disrespect to the makers of that or any of the other videos, but strictly from a "who would I want to shoot my wedding?" standpoint... and what other criteria should there be?... the answer should be fairly obvious...

If this were a contest over children's portrait photography, then, okay...

I have to agree with what someone said above; leave the cute kids on Youtube... "made me laugh" and "he's so cute" are, frankly responses that make me laugh...
I realize that the judging is subjective, but please...

Me plus Italy was so beautiful and actually looked like it was planned out and worked on instead of, "Hey I have a cute nephew, how about I film him saying funny things and then edit it together." If the "shiz" video wins then the prize should go to the kid, he did all the work. In my opinion number one is just on a higher level than the rest. I would certainly want her to shoot my wedding.

It's sad that people have to jump to the conclusion that Me + Italy is cheating...besides all of the high volume blogs listed, etc. that prompted people to vote for hers, I personally emailed my friends and family and asked them to vote for video #1 as well. All of these efforts combined could more than easily amount to over 200 votes in no time. Gene, Jose, I've seen this girl's work and you will absolutely not be disappointed when you bring her to your workshop.

couldn't agree more with Chelsea about Me + Italy...

high traffic sites did all the work...for the most part.

no sure if the person trying to go to the workshop had to be ON the video...but the kid is very funny indeed.

I'm bummed that shiz-what won. The kid is totally cute but catch phrases+ children and puppies is what makes up most of popular culture and it just plain isn't good art. The other three were interesting concepts. I'm disappointed in whoever allowed that one into the four finalists. That is like choosing a talking dog movie over a beautiful foreign film. It's cute, easy to like, but the concept is far too cliche.

allison cute video-but how could you have forgotten sicily!!!!!!! you don't get my vote

I stumbled upon this via a link on someone's blog (i don't know that person or any of these people!). What a cool idea! WOW! While they're all totally creative, I loved "Me Plus Italy"! It was inventive, quirky, elegant, cool and clearly she took time to put it together. Plus she looks like she would be alot of fun to have at your workshop....GOODLUCK to everyone!