A one-minute video highlighting the many faces of Camosun College meant $750 for the student who made the film.

Maelina de Grasse was the top winner in My Camosun, a video contest thought up by the college’s communications staff.

With Black Eyed Peas’ “One Tribe” playing in the background, de Grasse’s video focused on close-up shots of students’ faces and scenes of them interacting on the college’s courtyard. An applied communications student, de Grasse filmed the raw footage in just two hours.

“I kept it really simple,” she said. “I just wanted something that would hit home without being over-complicated.”

Students Bruce Dean and Patrick O’Keefe placed second ($500) and third ($250), respectively.

‘Don’t be creepy’ was one of just two rules mandated for the video contest by Camosun communications head David Sovka.

“The rules were purposefully vague, yet meaningful,” he said, “in order to encourage as wide an interpretation and participation as possible.”

Thirty entries were submitted, by students representing a wide variety of programs and life experiences, he added.

The idea for the contest came to Sovka as he sat on a summit in Banff over the summer.

“As I was sitting down on this mountaintop, a chipmunk came out and started scrambling around,” he said. “The simplicity of this one act, it told the mountain’s story. It was nature. Then a lightning bolt struck in my head and I thought, just ask the students to simply tell their story.”

Sovka said the contest presented an opportunity for students to visually present their vision of the college, which has transformed over the years from a primarily trades-oriented institution to a comprehensive institution serving 12,500 students in 168 programs.

De Grasse intends to spend her winnings on Christmas presents for friends and family.

A three-person panel representing Camosun, the Victoria Film Commission and “A” British Columbia viewed the entries and chose the winners.

To view the winning entries, go to http://camosun.ca/ccr/news/2009/nov/mycamosun-winners.html

– with files from Don Descoteau

vmoreau@saanichnews.com