Entry to The Young Filmmaker Challenge for 2023 has now closed for this year

As we approach winter we are once again inviting young people to enter a filmmaking competition, this time on the subject of ‘Survival’. There will be three prizes, in the form of vouchers, for £500, £300 and £100 to be spent on photographic/filmmaking equipment.

Entrants can interpret the title in a broad sense but are asked to concentrate on wildlife in the UK. Our main aim is to encourage interest in the natural world among both the entrants and the audience the film reaches.

Young Filmmaker Competition

The Challenge

We are inviting young naturalists and nature communicators to make a short video about nature in the UK. Your theme should have relevance to survival techniques and methods, used by the natural world – animals and/or plants. Whilst you can address broader environmental concerns such as climate change and human constraints on survival you should major on ‘Survival’ in the UK.

The challenge offers young filmmakers and those aspiring to work in that area an opportunity to share their work and ideas with a wider public. The best entries will be shown online in association with Skydancer Day in May 2023, and will be given permanent space on our YouTube channel. We’ll also share entries on our website and social media.

We understand that not all those wishing to enter will have huge resources. So, though good production values will matter, we are looking more for creativity and inventiveness in contributions. Animations, puppets, comedy sketches, song, all are welcome, as well as video or presentations based on still photographs or other images. You may use other people’s work (e.g. photographs) with their permission but the creative work in assembling your entry should be entirely yours.

Design brief

Your entry should:

  • be about the survival of nature or wildlife in the UK.
  • Be substantially your own, with full credit given to any components that are not your own.
  • Not have the character of a demo or audition. We are looking for good content that stands on its own, not a sales pitch.
  • Have duration. For example, a still photograph will not count but a presentation using a series of stills to tell a story will.
  • Last a maximum of four minutes.
  • Not be offensive, though it can be as hard-hitting as you wish it to be.
  • Be consistent with our values.

Dates

You must submit your entry by midnight on 31st March 2023. We cannot accept entries after that date, nor will we permit subsequent changes.

We will let entrants whose work we would like to show know by 29th April 2023.

Judges

There will be three judges for the challenge, including at least one established nature communicator and one Hen Harrier Action trustee.

Summary of rewards for entry

All entrants will be given publicity and a national platform on our website and other social media.
The best entries will be shown in our Skydancer Day 2023 event, and, subject to minimum standards, all will be placed on our YouTube channel for subsequent viewing.

The creator of the entry the judges decide is the best, will be interviewed about their work and the interview shown at a Skydancer Day/Hen Harrier Day event. They will also be awarded a prize of £500 in the form of a voucher from a leading supplier for filming/photographic equipment.

The creators of the second and third best entries will be awarded prizes of £200 and £100 respectively, also in the form of a voucher.

 

Rules

You must be aged between 12 and 18 on 1 August 2022 and resident in the UK.

Joint entries are permitted up to a maximum of 5 people. All contributors must meet the age and UK residency rule and be credited appropriately. Prizes will be divided proportionately. You may submit more than one entry.

By entering, you agree to be interviewed about your work for the online event if asked.

By submitting your entry, you grant permission for Hen Harrier Action to use it, including on our website, YouTube channel and other social media. We will always give proper credits and you will otherwise retain ownership and copyright.

Trustees and immediate family of Hen Harrier Action are ineligible.

Entries which in the opinion of the judges promote misinformation will be disqualified.

In preparing your entry, you must not:

break the law regarding disturbance of nesting birds.
put rare birds at risk because of your actions or movements.
make unsolicited approaches to leading figures for interview. If you have a proposal for that, send a developed pitch in early, and we may be able to help.
The opinion of the judges will be final. Unfortunately, we cannot undertake to give feedback.

By submitting your entry, it is understood that you have read and agreed to the rules of the competition.

How to enter

Please use the button below to access our simple entry form on which you can tell us where we can download your entry. You can also message us here to discuss how to send it to us.

There is no entry fee.