2011 hopefuls, we have your answers

We've had a couple of good questions sent in that we'd like to share the answers to.

Q: I know the contest states the videos are to be 60 seconds, however, are we allowed a bit of run over, say 20 seconds maximum? I noticed this on some of the videos last year.

A: We were lax with the time-limit rule last year when a few early entries came in at 61 to 65 seconds and then entries started going 75 and 80 seconds. This year, we are sticking to the 60-second maximum. We will be looking at the time stated on the YouTube video and we have found that YouTube does round up. Quite often a 60-second video on your computer, will be a 61-second video on YouTube.

If you submit a longer application video, you will not be disqualified, you will simply be asked to resubmit a shorter video.

Q: Has the voting system been addressed so that it recognizes people from smaller credit unions?

 A: The short answer is no, there is no weighting for credit union size.

From June 10–20, 2011, members of the credit union industry and the general public will vote for their favorite applicant in each region. The applicant in each of the six regions with the most votes will become a Regional Finalist. 

We encourage every applicant to use his or her professional and personal networks to rally support and votes. Consider getting involved in your state leagues, plus CUES has regional councils in many regions that you can tap into to broaden your professional network.

Employees at small credit unions can have large networks. Looking back to 2010, our finalists were from credit unions that ranged in size from $350M to $1.8B. Ronaldo Hardy, the Southeast finalist, was from the smallest credit union in his region.

If you have additional questions, please leave a comment or send us an email at nextopcreditunionexec@gmail.com.

THE CUES Team