Wednesday June 5th: to mark World Environment Day 2013, tve is calling on film-makers across the planet to submit their ideas – vivid, poignant, iconoclastic, and inspiring – for our new global competition of one-minute films on the environment aimed at the YouTube generation.

tvebiomovies, now in its fourth successful year,is inviting proposals from aspiring and established film-makers in five languages: Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish, and English. There are seven individual categories this year in which film-makers can submit their proposals by the deadline of August 30th. A judging panel will then pick the 14 best film ideas to be awarded US$300 to go into production over the autumn before uploading onto the tvebiomovies 2013 website. Finally the shortlisted films which attract the most YouTube views by December 19th will each receive a US$1,500 prize, as well as being screened at the UN COP 19 conference on climate change in Warsaw in November.

?We want you to send us compelling ideas for films that will wake up global audiences to the environment challenges we face today, across the planet. We?re not dogmatic about what formats you choose – they can be animation, drama, documentary or music videos. Your proposals can be funny, angry, sad or straight reportage? all we ask is you send us a range of ideas that are new, exciting and pertinent,? says tve?s Matilda Mitchell, who runs the competition.

?Filmmakers from more than 86 countries sent us proposals last year, and we notched up 985,000 views - almost a million – on YouTube. But we?re not stopping there. With the generous backing of our six donors this year, we want tvebiomovies 2013 to be even bigger and more newsworthy - breaking all our previous records. We know both filmmakers and young viewers understand that the environment is crucial to our planet?s future, as well as our own survival? and we?re eagerly anticipating your ideas on how you?ll show this.?

To submit a proposal, log on to www.tve.org/biomoviesand choose one of seven categories: (i) Climate Change (ii) Seas and Oceans (iii) Agricultural and Forest Biodiversity (iv) People and the Planet (v) Food Waste (vi) Sustainable Resource Initiative and (vii) A World Worth Protecting. Proposals, which can be written in Arabic, English, French, Russian or Spanish, must be submitted by 23.00 GMT 30 August 2013.

Once your proposal has been accepted, you?ll need to get your film to us by 23 October. The films in each category with the most YouTube views between 25 October and 19 December will be awarded US$1,500. We plan for them to be screened in Warsaw at the UN COP19 conference from 11-22 November 2013.

Visit www.tve.org/biomovies to enter tvebiomovies2013. 

Notes to editors

1. tvebiomovies is in its fourth year. tvebiomovies 2013, will launched by cult YouTubersSlomozovo and Bertie Gilbert from the UK, and ProektKOZA from Latvia.
2. tvebiomovies2012, had 428 entries from 86 countries, with the final films receiving 985,000 views.
3. tvebiomovies2013 is supported by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) for the Climate Change and Food Waste film categories the Lighthouse Foundation for the Seas and Oceans category Bioversity International for the Agriculture and Forest Diversity category The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation for the People and The Planet category the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  (EBRD) for the Sustainable Resource Initiative (films in this category must come from the 65 EBRD member states) and WWF-UK for the category A World Worth Protecting.
4. For 29 years tve has been making films about the environment and development, broadcasting to millions of viewers worldwide and distributing films through DVD, internet and community screenings to hundreds of thousands more every year. Find out more at www.tve.org

For media enquiries, contact Matilda Mitchell on + 44 20 7147 7420 or matilda.mitchell@tve.org.uk

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tve is a collective name for Television for the Environment and Television Trust for the Environment. Television for the Environment is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (registered office 46 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QJ, company number 1811236) and a registered charity (charity number 326585). Television Trust for the Environment is a registered charity (charity number 326539).