The following list of technical specs is not required, but, for the best quality videos, please consider following these suggested specifications:

1. Suggested video resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) or higher (a 16:9 aspect ratio – widescreen – is recommended).
2. Suggested video frame rate: 24fps or 30fps is often recommened in the U.S. 25fps is common outside of the U.S. However, if you are shooting actual video footage with a camera, make sure you final video edit matches the frame rate of your camera footage (often 23.976fps or 29.97fps, though this can vary depending on your camera and country).
3. Suggested video compression: h.264 (mp4) with a bitrate of 10mbps or higher (20mbps+ recommended) – keep in mind that YouTube recompresses videos, so higher quality in = higher quality out.
4. Title safe zones: When putting in text/titles/captions, keep them away from the far edges of the frame. Some TVs and monitors still crop out the edges of videos, so it’s best to imagine a sort of “margin” in your video frames (also called “title safe zones”). Most editing programs have “title safe” margins that can be viewed to help with this.
5. Custom thumbnail: A custom thumbnail can help your entry stand out from others during voting. Just keep in mind that the thumbnail will often have a “play icon” over the center, so be sure to keep important details out of the center of your thumbnail frame for better visibility. Recommended size: 1920×1080.