Some students on campus can submit their experiences with religion, organized or otherwise, to potentially win $100.

The University of Iowa Department of Religious Studies is accepting submissions of two-minute videos of UI students inspired by their religious experiences at the university.

However, the contest is only open to UI Religious Studies majors, or any students with a religious-studies course under their belts.

Michelene Pesantubbee, a UI associate professor of Native American Studies, said the categories for submissions are family, religious-studies classes, and the campus or Iowa City.

She said each category offers a $100 prize for first place and $50 for second place. Videos must be no longer than two minutes and will be judged upon creativity, originality, quality, and content.

“It could be anything, such as a calm place, a place they recharge — that’s religious,” Pesantubbee said. “It could be something about family. There could be a family tradition.”

The video contest serves as a way of giving participating students an outlet for their creativity and faith while introducing other students to experience diverse religions and cultures they may not be familiar with, she said.

“I think it’s a great way for students to put what they’ve learned in class into a tangible product,” religious-studies major Jennifer De La Cruz said. “I’m looking forward to the great submissions.”

Pesantubbee and Biblical Studies Outreach Coordinator, Jordan Smith, are the two professors handling the project.

Despite a range of creative freedom, there are restrictions, Pesantubbee said. The contest only accepts students who have actually had a class with one of the department’s faculty. Cross-listed classes fill the requirement, she said.

Pesantubbee said any graphic or distasteful content will be thrown out from the submissions. She said the organizers want students to be as creative as possible.

“It’s interesting,” said Alanna Maloney, a Catholic student at the UI, said. “I think it could be effective in promoting respect and understanding for other religions.”

Pesantubbee said winners will hopefully be awarded during the Alder Luncheon, an annual event dedicated to awarding past accomplishments of faculty.

Winners of the video contest will be posted on the department’s website, and the deadline for the contest is April 11. A description and the rules for the contest can also be found on the Religious Studies Department’s website.

“I can see the significance of this for religion,” Pesantubbee said.

She said many Native American languages that carry a great deal of emotional and spiritual importance to the culture, currently face a crisis of survival.

A documentary project on the topic will be shown at 6 p.m. today in the Pomerantz Center, Rising Voices: Revitalizing the Lakota Language.

The event brings light to the possible extinction of the Lakota language in the presence of overwhelming pressure to use English in the U.S., said Pesantubbee.