Hollywood Honors Top "Come Clean 4 Congo" Video

Tonight at the Hollywood Film Festival's Human Rights Symposium, Matt Smith will accept his award for submitting the winning video to YouTube's Video for Change program, "Come Clean 4 Congo," in partnership with the Enough Project. Back in May, we asked you to make videos demonstrating the connection between the "conflict minerals" used in cell phones and the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Matt's winning video, voted #1 by the YouTube community, used spoken word to take a far-away, complex issue and make it understandable and compelling:



To say things aren't going well in the Congo would be an understatement. It is the deadliest conflict since World War II, and militias continue to use rape as a weapon of terror. The UN reports that in the first half of 2009, more than 5,000 women have been raped in the South Kivu province of the Congo. Al Jazeera News reports on the conflict from a clinic in the Congo, where many of the victims are being treated:



The Enough Project saw the connection between the minerals that are mined in the Congo and used in our cell phones, and wanted to use that connection to bring this issue home to people living in the U.S. Thanks too to all the YouTube users who made videos to raise awareness of this issue. If you'd like to learn more about what you can do to help, go to the Enough Project's website.

And if you're in the LA area and want to register to attend the Human Rights Symposium, sign up here.

Video for Change Finalist Finds Local Fame

Emote 360, one of the finalists in YouTube and the Enough Project's "Come Clean 4 Congo" contest, were recently profiled by the local news station in Bend, OR about their efforts to raise awareness about conflict minerals through video.

Whether you're interested in the issue, or in the anatomy of a successful YouTube contest entry, it's worth a watch.

And if you're interested, you can click here to view and vote on all of the finalist videos.

Conflict in Congo: Secretary Clinton and YouTube Community Respond

Today, the New York Times reports, Secretary of State Clinton is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, visiting women affected by the sexual violence that results from the war over minerals in the region. NTVKenya provides a brief synopsis of her trip here:



The war in the Congo over minerals is an issue that is still relatively underexposed in the United States - that's why we partnered with the Enough Project on our first Video for Change program, the "Come Clean 4 Congo" contest, to bring this important issue to light. While the submission period is over, you can still learn more about the issue from our three semi-finalists, whose work will be showcased at the Hollywood Film Festival's Human Rights Symposium:

Who Goes to the Hollywood Film Festival? You Decide.

In May, we asked you to participate in our first-ever Video for Change program, the Enough Project's Come Clean 4 Congo contest, by making short videos that illustrate the tie between the minerals in cell phones and the ongoing war in the Congo.

You responded by submitting many excellent videos that increased public awareness of this important, but under-exposed, issue. In the end, our panel of judges (actor Ryan Gosling, director Wim Wenders, and Lost actress Sonia Walger) narrowed the entries down to three semi-finalists. Now, as Walger notes, it's up to you to choose the final winner:



The winner will receive a trip to Los Angeles where his/her video will be shown at the Hollywood Film Festival's first Human Rights Symposium. Please take a look at the semi-finalist entries below and vote for your favorite at www.youtube.com/enoughproject.

Last Chance to Submit to "Come Clean 4 Congo" Contest

Last month, we asked you to participate in our first YouTube Video for Change program by creating a compelling video that portrays the link between the minerals in your cell phone and the war in the Congo, for the chance to have your video screened before a celebrity panel of judges and an influential audience of entertainment A-listers.

Today is the last day to submit your video if you'd like it to be considered. The judges (including Ryan Gosling and director Wim Wenders) will then pick the three semi-finalists and turn it over to the YouTube community to select the final winner. We've already seen many inspired submissions -- for a sample, check out this playlist:





It's not too late to get your video in -- you have until 12 AM EST tonight to visit www.youtube.com/enoughproject and submit.