Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Submit your videos here: discord.gg/jJsqkhyqz4
Life is full of the question: What if? What if JFK hadn’t been assassinated? What if the soviets had landed on the moon before us? What if I’d gone to the gym today instead of eating Thanksgiving leftovers? And with so much history and big-picture decisionmaking shaping today’s trains, buses, planes, and ferries, we can’t help but wonder - what if something had gone differently in the world of transportation? That's why I'm launching my new Alternate Transit History contest, to see how you guys would answer that question.
Here’s how to be part of it:
Pure and simple, I want you to make a YouTube video that tells me the story of an alternate universe or timeline where something about the trains, public transportation, or commercial aviation that we know and love in the real world is different. Tell me about how something went differently at some point in your timeline’s history - for example, Richard Nixon rejects Amtrak at the encouragement of naysayers, or the Shinkansen is built 20 years earlier with steam power. Then, tell me how that change affects what happens after it - for example, Amtrak is replaced with a network of isolated state sponsored and privatized Intercity rail services, or America builds high speed rail during World War 2 to compete with Japan.
I want you to tell me a story like that - the more detailed and rooted in real-world history it is, the better, although fantasy or sci-fi elements are not strictly off the table.
Your video can be as long as you want, in any style you’d like. You can work solo or with others, and when your video is finished, submit it on my discord - as always, there are two age categories, one for 13-17, and one for 18+. Please keep things family friendly, and for this contest, please do not make videos about any transit, past or present, that is currently operated by the MBTA. Generative AI is absolutely forbidden in this contest, whether for script writing, audio, or visuals, with the sole exception being text-to speech phrases spoken by simulated real-world figures, such as presidents or celebrities, within the context of your story.
I will be awarding points to videos based on creativity of story, presentation style, and editing. The winner of the 13-17 age category will receive bragging rights, and the 18+ winner will receive a $50 gift card to a transportation provider of their choice. One submission per creator maximum. Your deadline is January 15. Happy creating!
Submit your videos here: discord.gg/jJsqkhyqz4
Life is full of the question: What if? What if JFK hadn’t been assassinated? What if the soviets had landed on the moon before us? What if I’d gone to the gym today instead of eating Thanksgiving leftovers? And with so much history and big-picture decisionmaking shaping today’s trains, buses, planes, and ferries, we can’t help but wonder - what if something had gone differently in the world of transportation? That's why I'm launching my new Alternate Transit History contest, to see how you guys would answer that question.
Here’s how to be part of it:
Pure and simple, I want you to make a YouTube video that tells me the story of an alternate universe or timeline where something about the trains, public transportation, or commercial aviation that we know and love in the real world is different. Tell me about how something went differently at some point in your timeline’s history - for example, Richard Nixon rejects Amtrak at the encouragement of naysayers, or the Shinkansen is built 20 years earlier with steam power. Then, tell me how that change affects what happens after it - for example, Amtrak is replaced with a network of isolated state sponsored and privatized Intercity rail services, or America builds high speed rail during World War 2 to compete with Japan.
I want you to tell me a story like that - the more detailed and rooted in real-world history it is, the better, although fantasy or sci-fi elements are not strictly off the table.
Your video can be as long as you want, in any style you’d like. You can work solo or with others, and when your video is finished, submit it on my discord - as always, there are two age categories, one for 13-17, and one for 18+. Please keep things family friendly, and for this contest, please do not make videos about any transit, past or present, that is currently operated by the MBTA. Generative AI is absolutely forbidden in this contest, whether for script writing, audio, or visuals, with the sole exception being text-to speech phrases spoken by simulated real-world figures, such as presidents or celebrities, within the context of your story.
I will be awarding points to videos based on creativity of story, presentation style, and editing. The winner of the 13-17 age category will receive bragging rights, and the 18+ winner will receive a $50 gift card to a transportation provider of their choice. One submission per creator maximum. Your deadline is January 15. Happy creating!
