The ForecastA video titled “The Forecast,” produced by College of Alameda student Chris Lancaster along with Christian Edoria, CMA, CRTP; and Keith Darby, CMA, CSCA, CFE, CAE, was crowned the Grand Prize winner of the third annual CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) video contest. The contest, which this year honors IMA’s 100-Year Anniversary, asked participant filmmakers to use their creativity to answer the question: “What will the next 100 years look like for CMAs?”

The winning video uses stunning scenery and compelling storytelling to show how lightning-fast changes in technology will transform an age-old profession, spawning a new breed of agile and innovative accountants.

For their first-place win, the team earned $2,500 and all team members will also receive the Wiley CMAexcel Platinum Review Course Scholarship.

Many other student teams participated in the contest. Second and third place videos were:

Futuristic View of the CMATied for Second Place (Winner of $1,500 and the Wiley CMAexcel 11th Hour Final Review Scholarship): “Futuristic View of the CMA” – In a world enabled by intelligent robots, an accountant supercharges her knowledge and skills to succeed in the ultimate competition. 

Team members: Unnamalai Ramanathan; Vinita Saiganesh; Saiganesh Ravindranath

Don't Just Wait for It, Work for It!Tied for Second Place (Winner of $1,500 and the Wiley CMAexcel 11th Hour Final Review Scholarship): “Don't Just Wait for It, Work for It!” – As a wave of digital disruption sweeps across the globe, one man boldly fights against fear and uncertainty to protect his career.

Team members: Wilfred Lozano; Coleen Mae Ngan

CMA FinalThird Place (Winner of $1,000 and the Wiley CMAexcel 11th Hour Final Review Scholarship): “CMA Final” – A video game transports students to the year 2119, where they discover a new frontier of inter-planetary accounting.

Team members: Madison Gaither; Scott Grody; Jack Tatum (from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga)


The Grand Prize winner and all finalist videos can now be viewed on IMA’s official Facebook channel.

Said Morgan Del Rio, IMA marketing and social media manager, “We continue to be impressed by the ingenuity, creativity, and ‘outside the box’ thinking of those who submitted entries. We applaud every team that took the time to submit a video depicting what the next 100 years will look like for CMAs. We especially congratulate our Grand Prize winning team for their inspiring effort, ‘The Forecast,’ which used beautiful images and a unique narrative format to give us a glimpse into the future.”

For more information on CMA certification, please visit the IMA website.