Exploring the evidence that the works of Shakespeare were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

2021 Authorship Video Contest Launched

Bigger Cash Prizes Now Available!

 

The Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship Fifth Annual “Who Wrote Shakespeare?” Video Contest opens today and is accepting submissions through July 20. This year the First Prize has been raised more than 50 percent, from $1,000 to $1,550, in honor of the birth year of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (the leading alternative authorship candidate). Second Prize has been raised from $500 to $717 (lucky seven plus 17), and Third Prize by 65 percent, from $250 to $412 (Oxford’s exact birthday was April 12, 1550).

Learn more and watch the past winning videos and finalists here. The mission of the “Who Wrote Shakespeare?” Video Contest is to promote discussion and explore the evidence of reasonable doubts about the true identity of this great author. Did William Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon really write these plays and poems or was that a pseudonym used by a frontman? The authorship question has been raised for more than 400 years, starting during Shakespeare’s own time, by a remarkably diverse range of artists, thinkers, and leaders — including Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Helen Keller, Malcolm X, Vanessa Redgrave, Anne Rice, and U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia, John Paul Stevens, and Sandra Day O’Connor, to name just a few.

The SOF Video Contest is open to all residents of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Australia, and New Zealand. The rules are provided in English, French, and German. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. There is no fee to enter and no purchase is necessary.

Videos must be a maximum of three minutes long (including any titles, film clips, or credit rolls) and predominantly in English. They should address the authorship question in an entertaining, engaging, and witty way. Up to 16 finalists will be chosen by the SOF Video Contest Committee for public voting, which in past contests has brought thousands of people to the SOF website.

You can share with your friends, by email and social media, the following link with full rules and details: https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/sof-video-contest

SOF Trustee Julie Sandys Bianchi (chair of the Video Contest Committee) notes that the contest “always arouses special interest. We get enthusiastic responses from all over the world.” She observes that SOF members naturally tend to favor Edward de Vere (Oxford) as the true author, “but we’re always open to discussion of other candidates in order to get to the truth.”

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: July 20, 2021 (by 11:59 pm, Eastern Daylight Time in North America). Finalists will be announced Aug. 10 and will be available for public viewing and online voting on the SOF website from Aug. 10 to Sept. 20, 2021. Due to the unpredictability of Covid-19 pandemic conditions, the date and manner of any live, public announcement of the winners have yet to be determined.

For complete contest rules and to enter, please click on the following link:

“Who Wrote Shakespeare?” Video Contest Rules

PLEASE NOTE: This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Instagram. By entering this contest, contestants agree to release Facebook and Instagram from any and all liability concerning this contest.

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