Contest Details: Two (2) Divisions: Youth (Ages 12 - 18); Adult (19+)

• Entry Requirements: Submit a one-minute video & a 150-word essay by March 31, 2027. The video must be in MP4 or MOV format, under one minute, and the essay written in English.
• Theme: “Our Food, Our Stories”: While many came here to seek economic opportunity, political freedom, or the "American Dream", we are interested in your personal motivations. What specific goals or circumstances led you to America?"
• Submission Instructions: Digital files (not YouTube links) should be sent to Silicon Valley Community Media (SVCM).

Submission Period: January 15 to March 31, 2027.

Contest Rules:

• Open to independent journalists, ethnic media, video creators, event organizers, and civic organizations in the U.S.
• Content must be original and relevant to the theme. Use of external material requires proper permissions.
• By entering, participants grant SVCM permission to distribute videos across various media platforms.
• Judging will focus on inspiration, storyline, creativity, and technical skills. The Judging Committee's decision is final.

Judging & Awards:

• Prizes: 1st Prize (2); 2nd Prizes (2); 3rd Prizes (2); People’s Choice (2).
• Judging Criteria: Inspirational content (3 pts), storyline (3 pts), creativity (2 pts), and production/technical skills (2 pts), evaluated on a 10-point scale.

Note: Please fill out each required question. If you didn't answer, your entry may not be judged. Thank you!

This Video Contest is open to all independent journalists, influencers, content creators, organizations, and everyone desiring to share Asian American stories.

Categories of contestants 

• Youth: 12–18 years of age.
• Adult: 18 years old and above.

What to Tell and How to Tell Stories: 

Food tells stories that words alone often cannot.

A family recipe can carry the memory of a homeland. A neighborhood restaurant can become a community's gathering place. A lunchbox packed with unfamiliar aromas can reveal both the pain of exclusion and the pride of belonging. Across generations, food preserves traditions, fuels dreams, and creates opportunities for connection.

For the 2027 Asian American Stories Video Contest, we invite participants to explore the Asian American experience through one of its most universal expressions: food.

Our Food, Our Stories: Legacy, Resilience, and the American Table is not simply about cooking or cuisine. It is about the journeys behind every dish—the sacrifices of immigrants, the resilience of families, the dignity of work, the creativity of new generations, and the countless ways Asian Americans have enriched the cultural fabric of the United States.

Food is both deeply meaningful and profoundly joyful. It is comfort and celebration, memory and innovation. It invites curiosity, sparks conversation, and brings strangers together around a shared table.

Through documentary, narrative, animation, or experimental storytelling, filmmakers are challenged to answer an enduring question:

How have the flavors carried across oceans transformed not only what America eats, but how America understands itself?