Video Competition

We invite you to create a video that can serve as a basis for communicating to extra-terrestrial intelligence (ETI). We want to convey interesting information about humanity and life on earth in a way that is intelligible to those from civilizations likely very different from our own, whether that is ETI, or the humans or descendants of humans in our own distant future.

The message needs to convey the essential aspects of our human civilization and our planetary environment. For this reason, sending only abstract mathematical patterns is insufficient – such a message might demonstrate our intelligence, but not our identity.
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We need to share with them our evolutionary history, our biological diversity, our cultural complexity, and our scientific achievements. We need to show them the beauty and the fragility of our planet Earth, the richness and the challenges of our life forms, the diversity and the unity of our societies. We need to think of what questions we would ask an alien civilization and answer them for ourselves.

However, even if we assume that the recipients of the message have the ability to play and view the video, we still face the challenge of creating a message that is as universally comprehensible as possible, while still conveying something meaningful about humanity. This is where your creativity and innovation are needed! We are seeking original and inspiring submissions for a video message that does not rely on any prior knowledge of humanity by the alien recipients. How would you introduce yourself and your species to a cosmic audience? What would you want to share with them about your planet, your culture, your values, your achievements?