Still aren’t sure if you are ready to step up to the challenge? We caught up with one of last year’s winners from the Short Film invitational that might help you make your decision. Sandra from Mexico wasn’t sure if she wanted to compete last year. Luckily she did, and had a life changing experience.

“After all these years, I finally went to Japan,” said Sandra, whose team “Vertigen” took first place in the Short Film competition in 2005. “I’ve wanted to go since high school. I was able to breathe Japanese air all thanks to the Imagine Cup and the worldwide finals!”

Vertigen’s entry proved it’s not the quality of your equipment that makes your project successful. “Think and work with projects you can financially afford,” Sandra advises. “Expensive projects don’t necessarily mean good projects.”

If you’re fortunate enough to make it to the finals in India, your team will only have 24 hours to create a film. That is why Sandra recommends you don’t focus on amazing production quality, but rather on your concept. The judges will recognize that creativity. “Use a small number of good locations. Don’t waste your time looking for far locations,” suggests Sandra. “The Canadian film from 2005 was very good. It was simple and concise, but still very original.”

You can see Sandra and Vertigen’s entry here, from concept (20KB) to storyboard (5MB) to completion.