CNN is taking their citizen journalism platform to the next level. Today the network announced the first ever iReport Film Festival which will allow iReporters to document the 2008 presidential campaigns from their own point of view.

Said CNN/U.S. president Jon Klein in a press release, "We remain committed to empowering Americans with the ability to engage directly with other viewers and voters, and we look forward to showcasing the raw, firsthand accounts from the campaign trail captured by the iReport.com community."

The winners of an Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award will be judged by both CNN.com users and a panel of judges. They will be announced on AC360 Thursday, November 13, nine days after the general election. Winners will then be brought to Washington, DC the third week in January where CNN will put them to work, shooting another film of the Presidential Inauguration. Plus, you'll probably get to hang out at the Inauguration festivities with Anderson Cooper, Campbell Brown and Larry King if you're lucky.

Click continued to read the release, including information on how you can submit an entry...

CNN Launches iReport Film Festival: Campaign 2008

Winners of Online Competition Announced on Anderson Cooper 360° Thursday, Nov. 13

CNN today announced the launch of the iReport Film Festival, CNN's first user-generated short film competition, providing a platform for voters to document this year's presidential campaign from their personal vantage point, whether they are volunteering for a campaign or have compelling stories about this election they want to document creatively. Winning submissions, judged by both CNN.com users and a panel of judges from the film and television industry, will be announced during Anderson Cooper 360 on Thursday, November 13.

"CNN was the first network to launch user-generated news coverage, with iReport, and then pioneered its integration into political coverage beginning with last year's groundbreaking CNN/YouTube presidential debates," said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S.

"We remain committed to empowering Americans with the ability to engage directly with other viewers and voters, and we look forward to showcasing the raw, firsthand accounts from the campaign trail captured by the iReport.com community."

Through iReport.com, CNN Worldwide's uncensored, unfiltered, unedited, user-generated community news Web site, the iReport Film Festival will enable viewers to share their experiences of this memorable presidential campaign.

To submit videos, filmmakers can go to www.iReport.com/filmfestival, where all of the entries also are available for viewing by the iReport.com community. Festival entrants must be 14 years of age or older. Their films must be no longer than eight minutes and must be uploaded to the site by midnight on Sunday, October 12.

Each Tuesday leading up to the announcement of the festival winners, one of the videos will be featured on Anderson Cooper 360°. Additionally, Headline News will showcase submissions Wednesday mornings on Morning Express with Robin Meade, Friday evenings on Showbiz Tonight, and over the weekend on News to Me.

"Since the launch of iReport.com, we have observed the formation of a community invested in voicing and documenting news as they see it with no boundaries," said Sue Bunda, executive vice president of content development and strategy for CNN Worldwide.

"The iReport Film Festival is an exciting opportunity to feature the iReport community's viewpoints specific to this historic election year."

Of the entries uploaded to www.iReport.com/filmfestival, 20 finalists will be selected by a committee composed of CNN producers, iReporters and students from film schools and high schools across the country. Those 20 films will be posted to CNN.com, where the site's users will vote to determine the winner of the CNN Audience Award. The finalists also will be judged by a panel of professionals from the television and film industry for the Festival's Grand Jury Award. Winners of the CNN Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award will be invited to travel to Washington, D.C., during the Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009, to shoot another film for CNN's consideration.