NCGA Announces Video Contest Winners
From a rendition of a song from “The Little Mermaid” to a geological ode, entrants in the fifth My Co-op Rocks Video + Photo Contest shared their undying enthusiasm for co-ops and celebrated the conclusion of the International Year of Cooperatives in style.
The nationwide competition, hosted by National Cooperative Grocers Association in partnership with Organic Valley, National Cooperative Business Association, National Association of Housing Cooperatives and U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, challenged co-op fans to submit a photo or video creatively capturing how their co-op builds a better world.
“We’re thrilled that the My Co-op Rocks Video + Photo Contest has offered such a positive platform for people to connect and share their enthusiasm for co-ops,” said Robynn Shrader, CEO for NCGA. “The originality of the entries never ceases to amaze us.”
Participants submitted their entries between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31, while voting continued through Nov. 30. The public selected winners in video and photo categories.
NCGA awarded prizes to the top three entries in each category. First-place winners received a $1,500 co-op gift card or donation to an eligible non-profit, second-place winners received a $750 co-op gift card or donation to an eligible non-profit, and third place winners received a $250 co-op gift card or donation to an eligible non-profit.
Video Category Winners
First place
Cooperative Living Organization is a touching display of how the Cooperative Living Organization at the University of Florida positively influences its residents.
Entrant: Cooperative Living Organization, Gainesville, Fla.
Second place
My Co-op’s Rocks is an original acoustic ode to the nutritious geology found within food co-ops.
Entrant: Tidal Creek Cooperative Food Market, Wilmington, N.C.
Third place
The Little Merc-Maid is a throwback to a Walt Disney classic highlighting The Merc’s utopian benefits.
Entrant: The Merc, Lawrence, KS
Photography Category Winners
First place
Growing Together, Cooperatively shows a joyous, confident clan of kids surrounded by leafy greens.
Entrant: Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School, Dugway, Utah
Second place
Sharing and Caring Since 1941 is a snapshot of preschoolers’ hands and feet interwoven in a communal circle reflecting the interconnectedness and interdependence of a very small co-op community.
Entrant: Silver Spring Nursery School, Silver Spring, Md.
Third place
Growing Future Cooperators – A vintage photo and quote highlight the preschool's mission to offer generous giving to something larger than self-interest in a child's early development.
Entrant: Parent Cooperative Preschool International, Greenbelt, Md.
Iowa City, Iowa-based National Cooperative Grocers Association, founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States.