The 2020 Census is a constitutionally mandated once-a-decade count of our nation. A complete and accurate count of everyone living in the United States is essential, and Asian American communities have been hard to count in the past. To help promote a complete and accurate count of the Asian population in Missouri, EARLY Missouri and Asian American Civic Scholars have banded together to host this TikTok-style short video contest.

Students were challenged to make a 15-second to 2-minute video encouraging the Asian-American community to fill out the 2020 Census. Submissions were evaluated twice: once by a panel of college professors and census works, and another by our followers through a popular vote on our Instagram. The following contestants won a total $400 prize pool:

Judge’s Choice: