Brain Awareness Video Contest

The Brain Awareness Video Contest (BAVC) is an annual competition held by BrainFacts/the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) to showcase videos of entertaining and educational neuroscience concepts and activities.

Since the launch of the contest in 2011, BrainFacts has featured over 100 of these imaginative, brainy videos from contestants around the world.

Prizes:

• First Place: $4,000 and complimentary registration to Neuroscience 2026 in Washington, DC.
• Second Place: $500
• Third Place: $250
• People's Choice: $500

Entries for the 2026 BAVC are open from March 20, 2026, to June 25, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., PST. Read the 2026 rules and regulations, which include new “Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” guidelines. 

Apply Now

Things to consider when crafting a great BAVC video:

1. Be professional.
   • Pay attention to grammar, lighting, and audio quality.
   • Obtain permissions for material you do not own.
2. Be concise. 
   • Keep it short and sweet. 50% of viewers tune out after three minutes.
3. Know your audience.
4. Be entertaining. 
   • Use humor, a snappy beat, and your creativity. 
   • Utilize your resources: White board drawings do well, and so do videos shot in the lab or other interesting settings.
5. Be unique. 
   • Create a video that has not been done before.
     • Check out previous videos from the Brain Awareness Video Contest.
     • Think outside the box: Videos about surprising and quirky facts are popular.
   • Come up with a catchy title.
     • Accurately convey the video's content.
     • Lists and questions tend to do well.

Access resources for help obtaining royalty-free music and images for your video.

Check out more BrainFacts tips on how to create a winning BAVC video.

Brain Awareness Video Contest Tips by BrainFacts 

Watch the 2025 Brain Awareness Video Contest Winners: 

• First Place and People's Choice: "Something to Savor: The Neuroscience of Flavor" by Gina Rizzo, Allison George, Diana Guarino & Lindsey Czarnecki
• Second Place: "The Shape of Our Memories" by Yewon Jun
• Third Place: "The Caffeine Conundrum" by Andi Liu

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