Want to celebrate Israel’s 65th anniversary this year and win a prize while doing it? All you have to do is make a video.

The Israeli Consulate in Toronto and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Israel Engagement Initiative are jointly sponsoring a contest that asks community members to create an original 65-second video on the theme of “What Does Your Israel Look Like?”

Contestants can upload videos “showing your relationship to Israel” to the federation’s Facebook contest page and then share the link with friends via social networking sites so that the community can vote for their favourites.

Prizes include a grand prize of two tickets on El Al to Israel, high-end digital cameras, and Cineplex movie packs.

The finalists will be invited to a “special VIP awards ceremony” to take place on Yom Ha’atzmaut, the consulate said.

Hadas Wittenberg Silberstein, Israel’s deputy consul general to Toronto and Western Canada, told The CJN the contest is a modern way to encourage greater connection between the Canadian Jewish community and Israel.

“We believe that through active involvement of families in celebrating Israel’s independence, and by using a more relevant and accessible platform for potential participants, we can add a unique, up-to-date and creative experience to the current celebration that will encourage reflection and personal engagement,” she said.

“Using new media as a central focus may also expand the exposure to Israel beyond the traditional circles in which Yom Ha’atzmaut is celebrated” in local communities.

Deadline to upload videos is March 21. Voting will begin the next day and close on April 5.

Winners will be announced on April 16, Yom Ha’atzmaut.