VIDEO CHALLENGE FOR CREATIVES: Innovation Beyond the Buzzword

What does innovation really mean — and what does it take to make it happen?
Innovation is not just about new technologies. It is also about rethinking how we work, collaborate, make decisions, develop solutions, mobilize resources and shape policies to address the challenges facing our agrifood systems.

The FAO Science and Innovation Strategy recognizes five interconnected types of innovation: technological, social, policy, institutional and financial innovation.

But what do these forms of innovation mean in practice? What makes an approach innovative, and how can it help us challenge assumptions, build new skills and tackle complex problems?

FAO's Office of Innovation invites students, young professionals and creatives to take part in Innovation Beyond the Buzzword, a global video challenge to make the ideas and approaches behind agrifood innovation easier to understand, more accessible and relevant to wider audiences.

Your challenge is to take an idea related to agrifood innovation and bring it to life through a short, engaging and thought-provoking video.

We are looking for creative ways to explore what makes innovation possible, how it challenges conventional thinking and how it can contribute to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

You do not need to be an innovation expert. What matters is your curiosity, creativity and ability to make complex ideas understandable and meaningful.

What could your video explore? Innovation can take many forms. Here are some questions to spark your curiosity and inspire your creative proposal:

• When farmers become innovators: What can we learn from solutions developed by farmers and local communities, and how does this challenge conventional ideas about who drives innovation?
• When technology meets reality: What makes a new technology genuinely useful, accessible and capable of addressing real needs?
• When people innovate together: Why can collaboration between farmers, researchers, entrepreneurs, businesses and institutions lead to solutions that none could develop alone?
• When the rules need to change : How can policies, regulations and incentives enable new ways of doing things?
• When good ideas struggle to grow: Why do promising innovations sometimes fail to reach those who need them, and what kinds of support and skills can help?
• When financing opens new possibilities: How can different financing approaches make it possible to test, adopt and scale innovative solutions?
• When innovation raises difficult questions: How can we ensure that innovation is responsible, inclusive and beneficial to those who need it most?
• When we imagine different futures: How can exploring possible future challenges help us make better decisions and innovate today?

These questions are starting points for inspiration, not prescribed themes. Your proposal should explore a specific idea, principle or approach that helps explain how innovation works, what enables it or how it can contribute to transforming agrifood systems.

Your video does not need to cover an entire innovation category or answer every aspect of a question. Instead, focus on one clear idea or approach and explore it creatively. You can use real-life examples, imagined scenarios, animations or other creative formats to show what makes innovation possible and how it helps us tackle challenges differently.

PHASE 1 – SUBMIT YOUR CREATIVE PROPOSAL

For this first round, applicants are invited to submit:
 

• 1. A SHORT CREATIVE PROPOSAL (maximum one page, 500 words). Choose an idea or question related to agrifood innovation that sparks your curiosity and explain how you would explore it through an engaging and accessible video. No technical expertise is required. We are interested in your creativity and visual approach. Selected participants will work with FAO experts to further develop their ideas and content in the next phase.
   
• 2. A STORYBOARD OR VISUAL TREATMENT Outline your proposed visual approach, including indicative scenes, animation style, visual references or creative techniques. Rough sketches and initial concepts are welcome.
   
• 3. EXAMPLES OF PREVIOUS VIDEO WORK (or portfolio material) (optional)

Applicants are welcome to submit more than one proposal.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Option 1
Submit your proposal to [email protected],using the subject line: Innovation Video Challenge – [Your First and Last Name]

• A short biography or background;
• Your creative proposal;
• Your storyboard or visual treatment;
• A link or attachment to previous work or portfolio material, if available. 

Option 2

Alternatively, you can submit your application online by joining the Challenge group on the FAO STI Portal.

Please include your full name, a short bio or background, your creative proposal, your storyboard or visual treatment, and links to previous work or portfolio material, if available.

Submission deadline (both options): 30 November 2026

Visit the dedicated webpage for further information, technical specifications and additional resources. 

Important: Submitted materials must be original or used with the appropriate permissions. AI tools may be used if their use is disclosed and complies with applicable copyright, privacy and ethical standards. AI-generated content must not include realistic depictions of identifiable individuals. Submissions will be reviewed internally, will not be published without the applicant’s consent, and will be retained only for the duration of the initiative

PHASE 2 — CO-CREATION & DEVELOPMENT

Shortlisted applicants will work closely with FAO experts to refine their selected topics, combining creative visual approaches with technical expertise to develop engaging videos that explain the principles behind agrifood innovation.

The resulting curated video series will aim to make agrifood innovation more accessible, challenge established assumptions, inspire new ways of thinking and support broader learning and capacity development efforts.

Video Challenge timeline

• Submission deadline: 30 November 2026
• Co-creation and refinement: December 2026 – February 2027
• Final selection, showcase & publication: early 2027

Selection process 

Applications will be reviewed based on: 

• Creativity and originality of the proposal;  
• Ability to communicate an idea or approach related to innovation in a clear, engaging and accessible way;  
• Relevance to agrifood systems;  
• Clarity and feasibility of the proposed visual approach;  
• Potential to engage a broad and non-specialist audience. 

Diversity of perspectives and geographical representation may also be considered in the selection of shortlisted applicants.
 

Why participate?

Selected participants will collaborate with FAO experts, receive technical and creative feedback, and gain visibility through FAO channels.

Your creativity can help people see innovation beyond the buzzword: as a way to rethink challenges, explore new approaches and create meaningful change.

For any questions or inquires please contact us at [email protected].

Go beyond the buzzword. Join FAO in making innovation understandable, relevant and actionable!