No Oscar, But DoctorLoopy Wins the National Park Foundation's Video Contest

Well, DoctorLoopy didn't win an Oscar for his short video on visiting Big Bend National Park, but his production has made him the grand prize winner in the National Park Foundation's "Your Parks" video contest.

The good doctor, whose real name is Doug Valentine, will receive an all-expense paid trip for two to the national park of his choice, an Olympus PEN camera kit, and an America the Beautiful Federal Recreation Lands Pass. Mr. Valentine is not a professional filmmaker, but is a science teacher from Melissa, Texas. He's made short videos for years to help engage and inspire his students.

In case you forgot the video, here's another look at it:

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Contest details

The ten honorable mentions in the contest, in alphabetical order by screen name, are:

Aime – Aime Ballard-Wood, “Our Favorite National Park”

FlowerGirl79 – Lily Lin, “United We Stand”

Katie – Katie Wiesbrock, “Into the Wild”

Katharine – Katharine Bente, “Sequoia National Park – Land of Giants”

MBradner – Matthew Bradner, “Badlands National Park Adventure”

QTPrincess2785 – Kelly Gaskins, “Kelly’s Adventures in Congaree”

RobinandSteve - Robin Welch, “Go Back in an Instant”

Ryan - Ryan Plaisted, “There is Nothing so American…”

Timothy – Tim Ackermans, “Golden Gate National Recreation Area”

Tyler - Tyler Johnson, “A Hike”

Winners of honorable mentions will receive Federal Recreation Lands Pass as well as an Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 digital camera, and gift cards for outdoor footwear and apparel from Merrell.

All winners will also receive a copy of the new Ken Burns' The National Parks: America’s Best Idea DVD and companion book, which premiered last week on PBS. The film chronicles stories of the people who helped create the parks, just as the “Your Parks” video challenge showcased the stories of individual Americans and how the parks have touched their lives.

“Your Parks” was a complementary project to the National Park Foundation’s official Share the Experience photo contest, sponsored by Olympus, seeking this year’s best photo of the National Parks. The winner of that annual challenge will have his or her photo adorn the 2011 Federal Recreation Lands Pass, receive an Olympus E-3 DSLR Camera Kit, and a trip to a Federal Recreation Area of choice. There are 14 chances to win national recognition and many great prizes.

To see all of the video entries for this year’s “Your Parks” Video Challenge, visit www.yourparks.com.