Peet’s and Project Greenlight Are Going to Give Someone $10,000 for a Coffee Video

Peet’s Coffee and Project Greenlight Digital Studios are launching a coffee video contest surrounding the concept of the role coffee plays in daily life, offering the winning filmmaker a grand prize of $10,000 and a year’s supply of coffee.

You may remember the name Project Greenlight from its critically acclaimed series that ran intermittently for four seasons on HBO beginning in 2003 that gave aspiring independent filmmakers an international platform to showcase their work. The executive producers for the series were Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The series itself was produced by Adaptive Studios, which launched Project Greenlight Digital Studios last year, with a continuing effort to provide platforms for and leverage the talent of “emerging filmmakers.”

The Peet’s contest collaboration is the studio’s first foray into the culinary world, and both companies said it will provide a “distinct platform for Peet’s to celebrate the U.S. National Coffee Day” on Sept. 29, which is also the day the top submissions to the contest will be up for public voting.

The theme of the contest is “Ode to Coffee First,” which references a trademarked marketing slogan of Peet’s. The video submissions will be limited to 30 seconds, and filmmakers are being asked to tell a compelling story around “how they celebrate their love for coffee in their daily life,” Peet’s said in an announcement this week.

Although the fine print for the contest has not yet been published, the demitasse-half-empty type might view it as a platform for Peet’s and Project Greenlight to capture high-quality video content at relatively little expense, yet the demitasse-half-full type might be content simply with exposure and the potential of winning $10,000 while exploring a beloved subject.

In the submission guidelines, the companies have made it abundantly clear that they are not looking for 30-second self-promotional videos. Here are some of the big rules:

• Submissions should not feature any coffee branding.
• Submissions must be no longer than 30 seconds.
• Originality – We’re not looking for 30 second commercials, we’re looking for original short form videos showing why you love coffee.
• Authenticity: Show us how you put coffee first in your life.
• Directing/Craftsmanship/Cinematography: Entries should be completed videos, and not pitches for content.
• Virality: Entries should contain content that other coffee lovers will want to share.
• Story: Finally, entries must tell a complete story.
• Submissions are due September 16, by 11:59 p.m. PT.

For more on the contest, visit Project Greenlight.