European Union Young Filmmakers Competition 2018 (Win €7,500)

Deadline: October 31, 2018

The European Union Young Filmmakers Competition 2018 is now open. The competition is part of the #EUandME campaign, which aims to show how EU legislation and initiatives can enable you to pursue your passions. From training to travelling, surfing the internet to saving the planet, #EUandME demonstrates how the EU helps young people to do what they love most.

This competition is a short film contest for filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 35. Contestants are asked to submit an idea for a short film that tells a story linked to the impact of the European Union in people’s daily life.

Think you’ve got what it takes to sit in the director’s chair? Then they want to hear from you. The EU is offering young filmmakers the chance to make their very own #EUandME short film. Five winners will each receive a grant of €7,500, as well as mentoring from a top European director, to help them to bring their idea to life.

Categories

Entries can be submitted in one of five categories:

1. Mobility
2. Sustainability
3. Skills & business
4. Digital
5. Rights

Prizes

• The five winners will receive a grant of €7,500 each to produce, shoot and edit their film by 30/04/2019.
• Winners will also receive mentoring by one of the professional directors of the jury during the filming and editing process.
• The five young filmmakers will be invited to show their films at a launch event in June.

Eligibility

• The competition is open to citizens of the 28 EU Member States.
• Participants must be18 and 35 at the deadline for submissions (31/10/2018).
• Participants must be a resident of an EU Member State.
• Winners will be required to provide proof of their citizenship and age before prizes are awarded (a copy of a valid passport or ID). Failure to do so may result in exclusion from the competition.
• Participants must already have made at least one short film in the past. They must include a link to a short film they have made in their application.
• You can only participate as an individual; group entries will not be considered.
• Persons connected with the organisation of this competition, including persons working for the European Union institutions, are excluded from participating.
• Participants are required to use their real name and details, and may not submit an entry on behalf of a third party without that party’s express written consent.

Entry Rules

• Participants must submit a written synopsis and a pitch video in English and, if English is not their mother tongue, also in one of the official languages of the European Union (see: http://europa.eu/abouteu/facts-figures/administration/index_en.htm).
• The synopses should be a maximum of 500 words long (including title, headings and sub-headings) in both languages.
• The pitch videos must be each a maximum of 60 seconds long. They should be filmed with a smartphone.
• All entries must be clearly linked to the #EUandME campaign.
• Each participant may only submit 1 entry to this competition. Only original work can be accepted. Once submitted, the entry is final.
• Other people may participate in the film, but only 1 person can submit the entry as the director and will be assessed as such by the jury. Group entries will not be accepted.
• To prove that they have already made at least one short film in the last five years (between 31 October 2013 and 31 October 2018), applicants should include in the online form a link to a previous short film.
• Each participant must complete all the required fields in the online application form. If a participant holds more than one EU nationality, they can select only one nationality in the application form.
• Entries must be submitted in 1 of the 5 categories.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria will be:

• relevance of the synopsis (how well does the synopsis link to the #EUandME campaign?);
• creativity of the synopsis (does the synopsis look at the selected issue from a creative angle?);
• quality and clarity of the writing (synopses should be well-written in terms of grammar, vocabulary and syntax in one of the 24 EU official languages);
• interest to the target audience (17-35 year olds).

Application

You will need three things:

• a written synopsis of your film (in English and, if English is not your mother tongue, also in one of the official languages of the EU)
• a short video pitch filmed with a smartphone (in English and, if English is not your mother tongue, also in one of the official languages of the EU)
• a link to a short film that you have made in the last 5 years (please note that there are no specific language requirements for this short film)

How it works:

• The Jury: The jury, composed of five European film directors, will review the entries and choose 10 nominees, two for each of the five categories.
• Public Vote: Starting from January 2019 and over 5 weeks, the winners will be selected by a public online vote, with the result being announced here on the competition’s webpage and on the European Commission’s social media accounts. Every week will be dedicated to a category: we will announce the two category nominees and ask users to vote for their favourite film idea.

Submit your idea for a short film by completing the online application form