Conundrums are ethical dilemma videos created and produced by Astra Nova School and brought to the world through ClassDojo, the world’s largest educational platform. The original partnership started after ClassDojo’s CEO Sam visited Astra Nova (then Ad Astra) on the campus of SpaceX. To date, millions of students have participated in Conundrums at school, at home, and on their own.

Generally, Conundrums have a few key ingredients:

(1) there is no “right” answer
(2) there should be good options (typically 3-5) for the viewer to consider
(3) the conflict should be engaging

The idea is simple and powerful: write and produce your own original 1-minute Conundrum video. The winning Conundrums will be used in classrooms around the world.

Submit it by the deadline of May 1, 2024.

We will review all submissions, select finalists, and on June 1, announce the winner.

A committee of Astra Nova faculty and students will evaluate each submission. Finalists will be notified on May 15.

Conundrums Contest Winner:
(★) will have their video shared on Astra Nova’s YouTube channel.
(★) will have the opportunity to collaborate with the Astra Nova Conundrums Team to bring your video to life using the Conundrums animators, musicians, and voice actors.

Finalists:
(★) video shared on conundrumscontest.com

The basic rules are:

(1) you and all members of your team must be 18 years old or younger.

(2) you may work alone or in a team— there is no team size requirement.

(3) create a Conundrums video— it does not need to be animated.

(4) you must identify all resources used to create your Conundrum: generative AI is permitted as long as it is disclosed. Failure to disclose a resource will result in disqualification.

(5) the Conundrum should be around 1-minute in length. It would be difficult to win with a video longer than 2 minutes or shorter than 30 seconds.

(6) since real prize money is involved, we will ask that you verify your ages and identities if you win.

(7) Astra Nova students (current or former) are not eligible to participate.

Here are some words of wisdom:

(1) you should feel free to take your Conundrum in a totally new direction or emulate the style that we’ve used to date.

(2) the production value is not as important as the question itself— a great Conundrum that makes us think is more likely to be a finalist.

(3) Conundrums appeal to a wide range of ages, so stay away from more mature topics. Usually you can get to the heart of a universal conflict without needing violence or suffering to give it stakes anyway.

(4) do not recreate The Trolley Problem.

(5) before you spend time on animation, voiceover, or music, ask your question to as many people as you can— the best Conundrums are (a) instantly engaging and (b) divide the audience somewhat equally between the options.

As of January 2024, there are 52 total Conundrums.

38 Classic Conundrums
7 Crime Conundrums
7 Conundrums of the Future

The scripts to each Conundrum can be found in the video description.