Competition Rules for Students

Deadline: Entries must be received by 11:59 pm on December 15, 2026.

1. Eligibility:

  • The Connecticut State Parasite competition is open to all pre-College students who reside, or attend school, in the State of Connecticut.
  • Submissions may be made by teams of one to four students.
  • Each submission requires a unique team name.
  • Teachers may submit up to three entries (see teacher instructions).

2. Guidelines:

  • Submissions should consist of a video that focuses on one of the six options for State Parasite provided at: https://csmnh.uconn.edu/stateparasite/.
  • Videos must be no longer than 3 min in length and must be narrated; they should be submitted in MP4 format; the video file name format should be TeamName_SchoolName.mp4 (e.g. ParasitesRule_WoodSchool.mp4)
  • Videos should briefly make a case for why Connecticut should have a State Parasite and why the parasite that is the focus of the video should be chosen as the State Parasite (see additional Judging Criteria below).
  • Information, images, and resources for each parasite species are provided on the individual species pages. However, other information and images are welcome. The password for accessing the downloadable PDF from the “Link to Further Reading” is parasite for all six species.

3. Application:

4. Selection process:

  • There will be two rounds of judging.
  • Round 1: The video(s) making the best case for each of the six parasite species based on the Judging Criteria described below will be selected by a panel of scientists and communication experts. The panel will make their selection of the finalists by February 1st, 2027.
  • Students who created the selected videos will be invited to visit the Biodiversity Research Collections at the University of Connecticut and to work with scientists to refine their video.
  • Round 2: The refined videos will be made available for public input.
  • Informed by public feedback, the panel will select the final video.
  • That video will be submitted to the State Legislature to make the case for a State Parasite.

5. Judging Criteria:

  1. General description of Parasites (2 of 40 points)
    Videos should include a general description of what a parasite is. Keep in mind this is going to go to Connecticut lawmakers to explain the whole project to them and they may, or may not, know much about parasites. The video should incorporate an explanation of the relationship between parasites and hosts, as well as the role that parasites play in the ecosystem to give an idea of what parasites are.
  2. Pitch for the Need for a State Parasite (6 of 40 points)
    Videos should include a convincing pitch for why the state of Connecticut should have a state parasite to go along with the state bird, state insect, etc. The project is looking to convince lawmakers, who may not know much about parasites, that the state should have an official parasite, so you will need to explain why parasites matter and why we should have a state designated one.
  3. Pitch for Chosen Species (20 of 40 points)
    The main focus of the video should be a compelling pitch for why the chosen species is the best choice for the official state parasite for Connecticut. It should incorporate information about the taxonomy and morphology of the chosen species as well as its biology and life cycle. Images, diagrams and/or integrated videos can/should be included to help describe the chosen parasite. The information about the species should be used to pitch why this species is the best choice to become the state parasite.
  4. Additional Information (4 of 40 points)
    Outside research is encouraged for your project. Including information above and beyond what is provided on the project website and incorporating it into the video will make the video and pitch more compelling. Research papers for each species can be found on their page for some more information about the species but other research might be helpful.
  5. Creativity (4 of 40 points)
    Videos should include an element of creativity to them. A narrated slide show is good, but what can you do to make the video more interesting and the pitch for a state parasite more compelling? Remember, we are trying to sell this idea to lawmakers.
  6. Neatness, Formatting and Video Quality (4 of 40 points)
    Videos will be judged based on neatness and formatting as well. Make sure that the videos are the correct length, edits are clean and the video and audio are of good quality. Check all text to make sure that there are no errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting.