Real Mothers. Real Stories. Real Life. That's Motherhood Maternity's ethos, and since 1982, they've had mamas' backs (and bumps) when it comes to what to wear, from belly to baby and beyond. And when it comes to pregnancy announcements, Motherhood Maternity believes that all reveals are good reveals. So you do you, mama.

Here are some great videos to use as references:

• Ashley Graham's pregnancy announcement
• Cute social announcement meme
• Surprising the dad
• A cute announcement around gifts
• Telling your kids
• Telling the grandparents (to be)
• Also check out the #pregnancyannouncementideas for more inspiration 

When you think of a pregnancy announcement, what's the emotional moment that comes to mind? The unbridled joy shared with friends and family? The quiet, private moment between two people who are about to become parents? The mix of relief – it's finally happened! – and then panic – it's finally happened!?!?  

Motherhood Maternity wants to celebrate the moment where it all becomes real in an anthem video that incorporates four different vignettes, and uses each to capture some of the many different ways people find out they're about to be parents, and shows how they then choose to share that information – and who they first share it with. 

Maybe an IVF couple finds out that the procedure finally took; imagine their relief, their joy, but also their caution as they decide to wait to tell their families. Maybe it's a mom of two, hiding with her at-home kit in the bathroom while her kids argue on the other side of the door, or a first-time mom gifting her partner or her parents a framed sonogram over Christmas dinner. Maybe it's an influencer sharing the good news with her followers through a surprise photo shoot, or a couple sharing a family tradition with their surrogate. In other words, there are as many possible pregnancy announcement stories to tell as there are parents, and while we're not expecting anyone to actually announce their pregnancy through this anthem video, we ideally want to capture that authenticity by casting real families, real parents, and real first-time moms-to-be. 

Your creative should be built around four families; two families with "evergreen" stories (i.e. stories that could take place at any time of year), and two families whose stories can be evergreen, but which can also include a light holiday element. There will be a holiday version of the hero video, but we only want holiday elements in two of the family vignettes, so you should think about a practical to do those with and without holiday elements. How involved the holiday element is will be up to you; for example, you could film a couple giving a sonogram to their parents in a plain manila envelope, and then film it again for the holiday version with the sonogram wrapped in festive packaging. Or maybe the mom-to-be has decided to reveal her pregnancy with (and without) one of Motherhood Maternity's holiday-themed announcement t-shirts. Whatever you decide, much of that holiday flair can be communicated through music, on-screen text and graphics, and endcards, so you shouldn't need to overcomplicate things and completely swap out your wardrobe and set decoration.

Above all, your videos should feel fun, social, and engaging, and should validate equally all the many paths to sharing that good news, while embodying Motherhood Maternity's ethos of "you do you, mama." and, for the holiday-themed videos, the feeling that each pregnancy announcement is the "best gift ever" for a light nod to the upcoming holiday season – so you should plan an evergreen and a lightly holiday-themed version of each vignette for two unique hero edits, as well as social-first videos built for Instagram and TikTok.

 

Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: There are 19 total video assets and 8 still assets. 

• Two hero videos:
  • One 2-3 minute Evergreen Hero (16x9, 9x16) – a montage of all four families/stories
  • One 2-3 minute Holiday Hero (16x9, 9x16) – a montage of all four families/stories with holiday elements
• Six unique social-first videos for Instagram Reels and TikTok:
  • One :15–:60 Evergreen Montage (9x16) – a montage of all four families/stories
  • One :15–:60 Evergreen Family (9x16) 
  • One :15–:60 Evergreen Family 2 (9x16)
  • One :15–:60 Holiday Montage (9x16) – a montage of all four families/stories with holiday elements
  • One :15–:60 Holiday Family 1 (9x16) 
  • One :15–:60 Holiday Family 2 (9x16)
• Three :15–:60 Instagram In-Feed Videos (1x1) – re-formatted versions of three of the Instagram Reels/TikTok videos
• Six video-only website assets: 
  • One :10 Silent Evergreen Video (16x9, 3x2)
  • Two :10 Silent Holiday Video (16x9, 3x2)
• Eight stills pulled from video: 
  • Four Evergreen Stills (16x9)
  • Four Holiday Stills (16x9)

 

TIMELINE: Click here for the full project timeline.

 

EXPOSURE: YouTube, Instagram Stories, TikTok; Motherhood Maternity's website, both on desktop and mobile, and email blasts to subscribers. Please review the platform best practices page.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers, parents, and moms-to-be.

 

TONE: Authentic, celebratory, surprising, genuine. 

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Your hero video (both evergreen and holiday) should montage together the four announcement vignettes to tell a larger story that celebrates all of the different ways mothers can confirm and share their pregnancy news.
• Your social assets – and particularly your TikTok, IG Reels, and IG Story content – should be social-first and feel app-native. Think of memes, tropes, and filming and editing techniques commonly used on these platforms and how you can integrate those into your creative approach from the ground-up. 
• While the holiday content should feel different from the evergreen content, this can largely be done through different music, text, and endcards; however, we do want to see a few specific holiday-themed moments from two of the families/stories.
• While this is not a product-first project, one of your stories must involve the mom-to-be trying out different pregnancy announcement t-shirts, including holiday-themed ones. Motherhood Maternity will provide this product for you.
• Your on-screen talent should be real moms, moms-to-be, and families; while these should be professional actors we want this to look and feel real and authentic. 
• Casting must be representationally diverse and inclusive across ethnicity, race, age, background, sexual and gender identities and presentations, and lifestyles. 
• Your videos must clearly convey two core messages: 
  • You do you, mama (evergreen and holiday)
  • Best gift ever (holiday)
     

OPEN BID: 

• This is an open bid project, so you will get to set your own budget up to $37,500. The Sponsor is interested in seeing tiered pricing options, so please feel free to submit various versions of your pitch at budget, target, and reach price points within that price range.
• By participating in this open bid project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a bid. Though most open bid projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit bid, we will notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any bids via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all open bid submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.

 

Shooting live action or stop motion? Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, and we're now requiring a COVID safety protocol plan for all relevant productions. Please review our COVID-19 Production Safety Guide and check federal, state, and local rules before and during your shoot to make sure your on-set protocols are up to date. We're working hard to keep people working during this extraordinary time, and you should ensure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline and budget, while also ensuring everyone's safety.

In order to be considered for this project, you must include the below materials in your pitch submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.

 

• TEXT (REQUIRED): 500 or fewer characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this video.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of what's going to happen in the video. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous video work. Please specify your role (producer, director, cinematography, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual videos.
  
  
• BID/BUDGET (REQUIRED): This is an open bid project, so you’ll get to set your overall budget proposal. The Sponsor would like each producer to create all of the videos listed in the Deliverables section within a total budget of up to $37,500. Please ensure that your budget factors in appropriate COVID safety protocols (i.e. testing, PPE, cleaning supplies, backup talent, etc.). You can download the budget template here.
  
  
• COVID PROTOCOL (REQUIRED): Please let us know your team’s COVID safety protocols for production. If you’re doing everything yourself, or your team will be working 100% remotely, let us know that this won’t apply. Otherwise, at the very minimum, your safety plan must include information about:
  • What city and state you plan to film in
  • Whether you are filming interiors or exteriors
  • Approximately how many people you plan to have on set
  • How you’ll account for testing, PPE, and distancing on set
  • How you’ll handle talent and backup talent, including any hair, make-up, and wardrobe needs
  • Whether you’ll have a dedicated compliance officer on set
  
  
• SCRIPT (Optional): This should include dialogue from the video you intend to create.
  
  
• STORYBOARDS (Optional): Additional concept art, storyboards, shot list, anything that helps get your point across. You can download the Tongal storyboard template here.
  
  
• HEADSHOTS/CASTING BOARDS (Optional): Casting notes or concepts, headshots of actors, etc.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the Sponsor and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect should they choose your pitch. Also, test videos, animatics, etc. are welcome. For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the Sponsor gives creator(s) the green light to move forward.

1. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p 16x9. Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
5. You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor’s organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
   
   
6. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
7. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
8. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
10. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
     
11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
13. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Video based on their prior work and experience as a filmmaker.
    
    
14. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
    
    
15. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Videos, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings.
    
    
16. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.