The Royal Television Society's Young People's Media Festival is an annual event brought together by the RTS North East and the Border Centre, the University of Sunderland, Gateshead College and the University of Teesside.
This showcase event for young film makers has been running in the region for more than two decades and has proved an important stepping stone for would-be producers and directors in the nine to nineteen age group.
The Royal Television Society 2012 event will be held at the University of Sunderland on May 16 and May 23, in the prestigious Media Centre on the banks of the River Wear.
The deadline for entries is Friday, March 23.
The awards are split into two events; the Junior Section (five to 13), which is a showcase for the youngest entrants. The Senior section is a competitive event for those aged 13 to 19 and will be judged across categories in drama, documentary and entertainment. There’ll be Royal Television Society certificates and prizes for the winners.
Schools, colleges, clubs and individuals from throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Borders are being invited to take part.
All entries are judged by professionals from the media industry who will be looking for originality, scripting, creativity, visual flair, awareness of the target audience, use of resources and professionalism.
Tony Edwards, RTS committee member and director of the 2012 YPMF, said: “The prospect of achieving an RTS certificate is a significant one as they are very much treasured and honoured, recognising a standard of excellence in the media industry.
“The major driving force behind this festival is to showcase the pool of talent that we have in this region. The quality of work is outstanding from year to year. The YPMF recognises the skill and endeavour that these young people put into their projects.
“The entrants take the competition extremely seriously, and many of our winners have gone on to achieve great things in the industry, because of the opportunities arising from their involvement in the event.”
Graeme Thompson, Dean of Arts, Design and Media at the university and RTS chairman in the North East, said: “I am delighted to welcome the festival to Sunderland after many successful years in Middlesbrough. There has never been a more exciting time for young people to experiment with making their own videos and films.
“This is after all the You Tube generation, where access to affordable cameras, post-production software and special effects means original and imaginative content can be produced on shoestring budgets.
“We are hoping to see a mix of factual, documentary and ente rtainment entries which show real awareness of how the professionals put programmes together.”
For more information visit the RTS Young People's Media Festival website.
