Life! Camera! Action! (LCA) is a youth multimedia creative competition presented by Project: Inspire. It invites young creators to explore mental health, intergenerational experiences, and healing through creative storytelling.

This year's theme is:

What We Inherit. What We Carry. What We Heal.

LCA is open to Guam residents ages 12–24. You may participate individually or as part of a group.

Participants under 18 will need parent or guardian consent for their final submission.

Not at all! While every final submission must be presented as a video, your actual creative medium can be almost anything.

You can create a short film, photography, painting, illustration, animation, original music, dance, spoken word, performance art, mixed media, or another creative format.

You can still compete! You'll simply need to present your work through video.

For example, you could show behind-the-scenes footage of your creative process, create a montage of your finished work, and/or use voice-over to explain the title, meaning, and connection to the theme.

The video doesn't need to be a professionally produced film. It's simply the way you'll share your work and its story with us.

All final submissions must be between 1-3 minutes.

You don't need to use the entire three minutes. Use the amount of time that best tells your story.

Any video longer than 3 minutes may not be accepted.

The theme asks you to think about the things that can be passed between generations—our experiences, beliefs, behaviors, traditions, struggles, strengths, culture, stories, and more.

What We Inherit explores what is passed down to us.
What We Carry explores how those things affect us.
What We Heal explores what we choose to understand, change, strengthen, or carry forward.

Your submission can explore one, two, or all three.

No. While this year's theme is inspired by intergenerational trauma and mental health, what we inherit isn't only pain.

You can explore culture, family traditions, resilience, identity, love, community, strength, healing, or positive things that have been passed down through generations.

You are never required to disclose personal trauma, a mental health diagnosis, or private experiences to participate.

No. Your work can be autobiographical, inspired by someone else's experiences, based on something you've observed in your family or community, or completely fictional.

What's important is how your work creatively connects to the theme.

No!

Registration is simply your first step. You don't need a title, script, finished concept, or completed project yet.

Register first, explore the theme, develop your idea, and then create.

Yes! You may enter individually or as a group.

For group entries, you'll eventually need to identify the participating team members and designate a primary contact for the final submission.

Absolutely.

You don't need a professional camera, expensive equipment, or professional editing software to participate.

Judges will focus on your idea, creativity, storytelling, execution, connection to the theme, and community impact—not how expensive your equipment is.

Generative AI may not be used to create the creative content of your LCA submission. This includes AI-generated video, images, artwork, animation, music, vocals, voice-overs, scripts, dialogue, poetry, or lyrics.

You may use editing tools that include AI-assisted features for technical purposes such as noise reduction, stabilization, color correction, captioning, audio cleanup, or similar post-production tasks.

A simple way to think about it:

AI can help you edit your work. AI cannot create the work for you.

LCA is about celebrating your creativity, your ideas, and your voice. Participants may be asked to provide original footage, drafts, project files, sketches, or other evidence of their creative process.

Submissions will be evaluated based on:

Connection to Theme — 20%
Creativity & Originality — 20%
Storytelling & Expression — 20%
Craft & Execution — 20%
Community Impact — 20%

A bigger budget or more professional equipment does not automatically mean a higher score.

Final videos must be submitted by:

NOVEMBER 30, 2026

Late or incomplete submissions may not be eligible for judging, awards, or presentation.

Selected submissions will be showcased during Life! Camera! Action! at the RISE Teen Expo on December 12, 2026.

Have a question about your idea, submission format, eligibility, or something that isn't covered here?

Contact Project: Inspire at our email create@projectinspire.co and we'll help point you in the right direction.