London, 4th June 2010 - The launch of the Red Planet Prize, the third annual search for new writing talent was announced today by Tony Jordan, who also announced that this year the Red Planet competition will be held in partnership with Kudos Film and Television in a drive to discover the best of Britains unsigned writers.
First launched in 2007 the competition has already seen thousands of budding writers entering for a shot at the coveted prize and some exciting new talent has already been discovered. This year is likely to be even more hotly contested with the additional backing of one of the UKs foremost production houses famed for its high concept and ambitious productions.
Jordan will oversee this years entries with Kudos Executive Producers Karen Wilson and Alison Jackson and Simon Winstone for Red Planet Pictures.
Both production companies have excellent writing at the very heart of all their projects and are continually on a quest to find, nurture and invest in new writing talent as well as to develop innovative and highly original new concepts for drama series.
Wilson says; Tony has started a great initiative with the Red Planet Prize and we were very keen to get involved with this exciting opportunity to discover new, unheard voices. We want to give new writers the chance to be read and considered. The drama industry needs new, emerging talent to fuel its future and provide fresh eyes and viewpoints and we are keen to discover new talent for our returning series as well as possibly finding writers who could originate their own ideas for TV.
Jordan, MD of Red Planet Pictures says; Ever since I set up Red Planet Pictures I have had a continuing commitment to finding and nurturing new writing talent from across the UK; that is why I originally launched this competition. To have the additional talents, experience and resources of Kudos is invaluable and helps to create more opportunities for exciting and fresh new ideas from our eventual winner and runners up to be developed and hopefully make it to the small screen.
The competition has already seen success with its winners; Joanna Leigh who has gone on to write for Red Planet Pictures series Crash for BBC One Wales and is currently developing a new series with the production company, and Mark Wilkinson who is now developing his winning script, The Ropes, a contemporary drama set in the world of boxing.. Runners up are also working on developing scripts with Jordan and his team at Red Planet Pictures, including a drama series set in the Caribbean being lined up as a co-production with French Television.
The prize is one of the most alluring for up and coming writers; a 5,000 cash prize, a script commission and agent representation if required.
The winner and a number of runners up will also be mentored by executives from both Indies, giving them the benefit of years of experience and skill at the leading end of the drama industry.
The judges this year will include some hugely influential names in the TV industry Tony Jordan will be joined by Kudos Creative Director, Jane Featherstone, BBC Head of Drama, England Indies, Polly Hill and Channel 4 Dramas Head of Development Ben Stoll.
The competition is open to anyone in the UK. Entrants must upload the first ten pages of an original 60 minute script for TV along with a short synopsis, this can be a single play or a pilot for a series. Should entrants then proceed through to the second phase, they will be asked to submit the full script.
Entries are to be submitted on the competitions website www.redplanetpictures.co.uk/red-planet-prize. The deadline is 31 July 2010.
The outright winner will be announced later in the year, but other finalists who shine will be invited to spend the day with Jordan and a team from both Red Planet Pictures and Kudos at the end of the year to talk through their work and receive guidance on their writing.
Added On Thursday, June 3, 2010