FAQs

Who can submit an entry for Move Mining?
Move Mining is an open competition available to all–professionals, young professionals, students in the mining industry, and the general public–anyone 10 years and older. Anyone with an idea and a passion for the industry. If you are a marketing professional, but have a great idea on how to share an educational message about modern mining and its importance with the world, then you can compete in Move Mining! Are you a stay-at-home mom with a way to teach K-12 students about mining in the classroom? You can compete in Move Mining! Move Mining is open to any and all creative ideas on how we can change the public’s perception of mining.
When does the competition start and how long does it last?
Move Mining competitors can begin submitting videos and concept abstracts noon MDT September 15, 2021 through noon MST, November 10, 2021.
What is required to submit a concept?
Competitors are required to submit a 3-minute or less video in addition to a 1-page abstract of their concept online by noon MST, November 10, 2021. Competitors must submit a completed abstract prior to their video being posted online for public viewing.
What are the video requirements?
Videos must be submitted in either one of the following formats that are compatible with YouTube:
.MOV
.MPEG4
.MP4
.AVI
.WMV
.MPEGPS
.FLV
.3GPP
.WebM
For more information on YouTube video requirements and standards, please visit https://support.google.com/youtube.
What about copyrighted material (images, video footage, music)?
Please do not include mention or performance of any copyrighted media production including but not limited to music, films, books, television programming, etc., or identifying descriptions of any media property. Your video submission should not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to material that violates privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement.
Video Submissions must not include third party trademarks, logos, insignia, location signage, photographs, artwork, or sculptures and must not use music that isn’t either completely in the public domain or has full permissions given for its use, or is originally written, performed and produced by you or your team.
Do not use music that is copyrighted. If you have questions about this, do some research. One website that has royalty free music at no charge is https://www.seabreezecomputers.com/tips/freemusic.htm.
Read and follow their instructions carefully. Some of the songs just need to be credited, but are completely legal to use. Videos with copyrighted music will not be able to be posted for voting or used in the competition.
What is required for the 1-page abstract?
The abstract is a very high-level overview of some of the critical components of your concept. The abstract is designed to give the committee choosing the finalists additional details about your concept in a very simple and easy to read format.
Use the Concept Abstract template provided to submit your abstract. To view additional details about the 1-page concept abstract, please visit the resource Preparing Your Abstract.
What is People’s Choice?
The official competition website records the number of “likes” each video receives. The video with the most “likes” during the Voting Period (noon M.S.T. Wednesday November 17, 2021 to noon M.S.T. on Tuesday, November 30, 2021) shall be deemed the People’s Choice Finalist. The number of “likes” shall be measured by the competition website’s voting method. All votes must be made on the Move Mining website in order to be counted towards the People’s Choice.
Where can I find help on making my video?
Go to the Resources section under How to Enter. Check there for helpful hints and tips on how to make your videos.
What happens if my team is chosen as a finalist?
Concept Paper
Finalists are required to submit a three – four (3-4) page paper outlining the concept presented in the 3-minute video. The concept paper must include, but is not limited to: 1. Executive Summary 2. Idea Details including charts and images 3. Target Audience 4. Preliminary Budget 5. Brief Marketing Plan. The paper must not exceed 4 pages. Papers must be submitted as a Word document or PDF. Concept papers will be given to the Live Event Panel of Judges one (1) week prior to the live event. Concept papers must be written in English. Concept papers must be written and submitted to SME no later than February 8, 2022.
Live Presentations
Each finalist team is required to present at the MINEXCHANGE 2022 SME Annual Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, February 28, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. MT. As part of becoming a finalist or finalist team, SME will provide a percentage discount on conference registrations. To learn more about the MINEXCHANGE 2022 SME Annual Conference & EXPO and conference registration, please visit www.smeannualconference.com. Teams are permitted to build presentations as elaborate as they wish. Props, digital media and other presentation materials are highly encouraged. Event Coordinators will communicate more specifics to the finalist teams.
For more information about the live event and requirements, please see the Rules and Regulations.
How can I get people to see my video once it is posted?
What should I NOT include in my video?
Do not include anything vulgar, inappropriate or inaccurate. We will not be able to post videos that make people feel uncomfortable or that go against the goal of informing people about the importance of minerals and mining in their lives. Please see the Rules and Regulations for complete guidelines.
What if I’m running late?
We’re sorry. There will be no exceptions. Submit your video long before the noon MST November 10 2021 deadline to ensure that you have the time to work out any issues you encounter in the submission process.
Does it cost anything to submit a concept or do I need to be an SME member?
The competition is open to professionals, non-professionals, college students and anyone who wants to compete; and does not require a purchase or an SME membership. If you would like more information about SME and SME membership, please contact membership@smenet.org.
What if my team is chosen, but we can’t attend the live event?
For a team to qualify for the final competition and prizes, they must be able to present their concept at the Move Mining live event in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday, February 28, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. MT.
What are the language requirements for submission?
All videos, papers and presentations must be in English. Would you like help with translating your concept into English? Contact Lauren.Schmidt@mining.komatsu for free translation services for Move Mining contestants that contact her with enough time for translation services to occur.
How do we know if People’s Choice is fair?
The Move Mining team takes great pains to ensure that all teams are competing fairly. All votes submitted as part of People’s Choice are tracked through IP address. Spam-voting, duplicate voting or bulk voting will not be allowed.
All teams are able to request documentation of their votes.
We encourage all teams to use People’s Choice as an opportunity to share their videos with as many people as possible.
All votes for People’s Choice are vetted through IP address.
How can I support this cause?
If you or your company is interested in sponsoring or supporting the Move Mining competition, we have many opportunities available. If you would like to speak with someone about sponsorship opportunities, please email the SME Sponsorships Coordinator at sponsorships@smenet.org. We also LOVE volunteers! If you are looking for an opportunity to participate in Move Mining during live events, we are looking for energetic volunteers to help support the movement. If you are interested, please contact us at movemining@smenet.org.


