Adobe Premiere Pro is celebrating its 25th birthday by dishing out a nice payday—if you want to get your hands dirty, that is, by editing a music video for Imagine Dragons.

The "Make the Cut" contest is something we've all seen before: you may recall the similar contest Elton John's The Cut, which encouraged fans to create iconic videos for "Bennie and the Jets," "Rocket Man," and "Tiny Dancer." 


Abode's competition is now open, with access to a plethora of raw footage from the official music video for the Imagine Dragons hit song, "Believer." Anyone who lives in United States or a laundry list of other countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, and the U.K., to name a few) can edit a video and submit it for prizes.

Be sure to read the official rules to meet the contest's requirements before diving in. The fine print has all the country details and specs. Note that the entry must be no longer than four minutes, include the song's complete soundtrack, be delivered in mpeg, .mpg4, .avi, .mov, .flv, or .wmv formats, and cut using Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

Submissions will be judged by Imagine Dragons band members, director Matt Eastin, two-time Academy Award-winning editor Angus Wall (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network), and award-winning music video editor Vinnie Hobbs, whose credits include videos for Kendrick Lamar and Britney Spears. 

List of awards

  • Grand Prize Winner: judged on original creativity and overall appeal
    • Prize: $25,000
  • Best Use of Adobe Stock: the most creative use of supplied Adobe Stock footage.
    • Prize: $2,500, one-year subscription to Creative Cloud, and 25 Adobe Stock credits
  • Fan Favorite: most liked by fans on the Adobe Creative Cloud Channel on YouTube
    • Prize: $1,000 and a one-year subscription to the Cloud
  • Most Unexpected: the video with the most "wow" factor
    • Prize: $1,000 and a one-year subscription to the Cloud
  • Best Young Creator: the best up and coming editor under 25 years old
    • Prize: $1,000 and a one-year subscription to the Cloud
  • Best Short Form: the most impressive video that's 30-60 seconds long
    • Prize: $1,000 and a one-year subscription to the Cloud

Don't miss this great opportunity to practice cutting professional footage! The competition ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on April 8, 2017. All the details can be found here