Save Mary Lake organizers announced the winners of its video contest today.
The $1,000 first place prize went to Shinjini Sur and Varun Sharma for their animated video about a boy who grew up playing in the forest and, when he's older, he wants to save a piece of wilderness from sprawling cities. He and his friends team up to all chip in $10 to save Mary Lake.
In the second place film, Todd Harris contrasts the noise of vehicle traffic in Langford with the calming landscape of the Mary Lake. He shows a child playing in the forest to a soundtrack of Pink Floyd and overlays facts about the property, urging viewers to donate at the end. His prize is $300.
A $100 third place prize went to Eric Pittman for his film about humming birds living in the forest and the damage humans do to animal habitat when homes are developed too close to wilderness areas. His narration is read over ambient music by Moby.
In all, 13 videos were entered in the contest, which was launched in January. The most popular received about 600 views. All submissions can be seen on the contest's YouTube channel.
Mary Lake is located on a 114-acre estate that was listed for public sale this month, after the Save Mary Lake online campaign failed to raise $1 million towards buying the land. However, the fundraising effort continues and the land may still be saved if the money is raised before somebody else buys the property.
If the Mary Lake property isn't purchased, all donations will be passed on to the Habitat Acquisition Trust to use towards protecting another property in the area. For more information about donating, visit www.savemarylake.com.
Winning videos
First place:
Second place:
Third place: