On Zientzia, prize for the best short video on science and technology

The ON ZIENTZIA video competition, organised annually by Elhuyar and the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) within the framework of the television programme Teknopolis, is aimed at promoting the production and dissemination of short, original videos on science and technology and is open to anyone who wishes to enter. The prize-giving ceremony for this 16th edition of the competition took place today in Tabakalera.

This year the competition received more entries than ever, with a total of 114 videos submitted. Most of these are in Basque, though there are also videos in Spanish and English, as the participants are from across the globe. All the video entries can be viewed on the competition website: www.onzientzia.tv

The jury awarded the following works in each category:

Yurena Carrero, from Vitoria-Gasteiz, won the prize for best dissemination video (€3,000) for her work Gure bigarren garuna: hesteetako mikrobiotaren botere ezkutua. The jury highlighted it as “a well-rounded informative work: the content, format, images and also the voice-over. It deals with a hot topic and incorporates the gender perspective in a very interesting way.”

The jury awarded the prize for best video in Basque (€2,000) ex aequo. Biology students Jon Esnaola Lopez, Ane Fradejas Marculeta and Dunixe Urrutibeaskoa Azula won the prize for their video Tinder – Match! Edo Kosk!. The jury commented that “it is an original video, rich in detail and humour. Its authors chose a format perfectly suited to the topic.” The prize also went to Noa López Ochoa, from Zarautz, for her video Olagarroa. According to the jury, “the author made great use of the resources for a topic that is difficult to illustrate. In great detail, she tells the story of a special animal and describes another form of evolution in intelligence.”

The Youth Prize (€1,000) went to the students at the Xabier Zubiri Manteo school in San Sebastian, for their work Komentsalismoa. The jury commented that “it’s a video that exudes freshness and energy, and we can see that teamwork was an essential element. They identified and analysed an everyday problem, explained it, and together came up with a solution.”

This year the jury wanted to make a special mention of a work that invites reflection. Chemistry students Ainhoa Lopez and Nerea Etxaburu created the video Edertasuna salmentan, which shows the scientific and social aspects and the pressure faced by women and girls.

The prizes were presented by Adolfo Morais Ezquerro, Deputy Minister for Science and Innovation; Ricardo Díez Muiño, Director of the DIPC; Edurne Gaston Estanga, Coordinator of Elhuyar’s Science Unit; Marian Iriarte Ormazabal, Vice-Rector of the University of the Basque Country (EHU) and jury member; and Nagore Rementeria Argote, member of Teknopolis and jury member.

The jury responsible for evaluating the videos was formed of Marian Iriarte Ormazabal, Vice-Rector for Institutional Relations and Culture of the EHU; Cristina Tapia Huici, Head of Communications at Filmoteca Vasca; Jon Mattin Matxain, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry of the EHU and associate of the DIPC; Itxaso Azcune Tolosa, Communications Specialist at the DIPC; and Nagore Rementeria Argote, member of Elhuyar and Teknopolis.

The prize-giving ceremony will be broadcast during a special episode of the television programme Teknopolis, together with the winning entries and the winners’ comments. The programme can be viewed on ETB1 on 13 June at 1:30 pm, and on ETB2 on 14 June at 12:25 pm.