If you work with K-12 students in the United States (or if you are one), then you’ll want to know about this video competition. Engage 2012 asks young people to create short videos about political issues impacting their communities. All entries will be uploaded to YouTube under CC BY, meaning lots of great fodder for future remixes.

From the website:

Every four years, American voters decide who calls the White House home. And the road to the election is full of questions. How does the next presidential election affect you, your family, and your neighborhood?

Answers to this question appear in newspapers, on television, and on the radio. But we want to know what the story is in your community. There’s just one question: Can you tell us in two minutes?

The Engage in Democracy 2012 Student Journalism Challenge is a competition for K-12 students from across the United States and its territories. Our goal is to involve you in the political process.

To participate, shoot a video under two minutes in length using stories from around your community with a focus on one of these six big election topics:

• Voter Turnout
• Jobs and the Economy
• Education Reform
• Health Care
• Energy and the Environment
• Immigration

The contest is open through November 5.