From the Nominator

"How do you capture a year of accomplishments and impact in a video during a year that began with students, staff, and faculty learning and working remotely, and then finished up after just one semester of a more traditional academic experience on campus? You try something a little different.  

Michigan State University was one of a handful of universities still operating almost completely remotely at the beginning of 2021. Most students, staff, and faculty didn’t return to campus until the fall, creating a difficult challenge for the team tasked with creating a traditional year-end video without actual video from activities that would typically take place. 

Our team thought outside the box, coming up with a new way to tell the Spartan story. MSU’s team created an engaging, creative video product that celebrated all the accomplishments that Spartans experienced in 2021. They set records in sports, graduation rates, and program rankings. Spartans got to the Olympics and got NASA to Mars. They helped develop new treatments and vaccines. And they beat Michigan. Most importantly, they did this all together. The finished product captured all the pride and excitement, engaging viewers from beginning to end."

From the Judges

For a year-in-review video, this is among the best--creative, different and very engaging. Good graphic treatment, given the absence of real video. Smart to make this viewable without sound. Nice, eye-popping graphics and minimal use of text. It goes by very quickly, which increases likelihood of second views. Solid view stats, too.