The deadline for submissions is approaching very fast.

Tonight at midnight,

YouTube.com will no longer be accepting entries.

But after eight amazing years,

it is finally time to review everything

that has been uploaded to our site

and begin the process of selecting a winner.

Kamangar: We started YouTube in 2005

as a contest with a simple goal:

to find the best video in the world.

We had no idea we'd get such a great response.

You've uploaded over 70 hours of footage every minute,

and we've been blown away by the variety, imagination,

and anything goes spirit that has driven the competition.

Dodson: We are all storytellers.

That's what pulled me into this contest.

You know, like, stories about

how to Photoshop,

and stories about "The Hobbit" trailer HD.

I encourage everybody to watch as many videos as possible

before YouTube deletes everything tonight.

Liston: Every video that has been uploaded to our site

will be reviewed by our staff of 30,000 technicians.

They'll narrow down the submissions,

and then our esteemed panel will select the best video.

Which will be announced when the website goes back online

in 2023, featuring the winner of YouTube and nothing else.

Our team of judges is made up of distinguished film critics,

YouTube celebrities,

and some of our most prolific commenters.

Judge: Yes, it's a product un-boxing.

But I think it adds to the product un-boxing genre,

and it subverts our expectations as an audience.

Judge 2: I don't suck, you suck, and so does this video.

Dodson: Look, I'm pretty sure

that the first ten minutes of "Citizen Kane" is great,

but what I love about "Epic Skateboard Fail"

is that it's short, it's funny,

and it's straight to the point.

Andrea: But is it the best video on YouTube?

Judge: We're going to have the same conversation

about all 150,000 videos that we watch.

It's an amazing process.

Kamangar: We always said that this

shouldn't be a popularity contest.

"Gangnam Style" has the same chance of winning

as a video with 40 views of a man feeding bread to a duck.

KassemG: Of course I'm hoping to win,

but even if I've inspired just one person

and harass people on the beach...

that's something I'll still feel pretty good about.

Matt Harding: I better win.

Otherwise all those years traveling the world

were just an expensive waste of time.

iJustine: My strategy from day one has always been to upload as many videos as possible.

I mean, it's all about shots on goal.

Rafi Fine: It's important to keep pushing yourself.

We challenge ourselves every day to think of groups of people that can react to something

that most people already know about. It's important that the judges appreciate the risks

that we take as artists.

Harry: When we heard about the contest,

we spent months trying to come up with the best idea.

Then Charlie bit my finger.

And I was like, "Write that down!"

Judson: I did dancing.

David: My dad put a lot of money

into this dental surgery I didn't even need

just so we could win this contest.

He'll be really, really upset if we lose.

Liston: It's not just about the recognition

of being the world's best video.

As promised, when YouTube started back in 2005,

the winner will also walk away with an MP3 player

that clips to your sleeve

and a $500 stipend for your next creative endeavor.

So, remember, get all of your last-minute submissions

in by tonight at midnight.

While your work's finished,

ours is just beginning.

It's gonna be an exciting decade.