The Big Idea National Competition

 This is huge news everyone! I found out about it on Thursday/Friday, but had to keep quiet until now because the announcement was under an embargo until today. Here's the info from the press release sheet - for more details check out The Big Idea website, which is brightly coloured with funky backgrounds!

GREAT NEW IDEAS FOR CHILDREN’S STORIES GET THE CHANCE TO BE TOLD!

Tess Daly joins nationwide search to discover the next big story idea for children

Judged by experts from the book, film, TV and theatre world

Challenging convention on how great ideas become stories today

Britain has created some of the greatest children’s stories in history. From J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the nation has produced ideas that have become part of our cultural heritage and captivated audiences around the world. 

Now the search is on to find Britain’s next ‘big idea’ with a major new competition to discover original story ideas for children. The Big Idea will be encouraging the nation to get creative this summer, giving participants the chance to see their ideas nurtured and developed by experts in the world of family entertainment. The competition challenges convention on how ideas can be brought to life and made into new narratives in book, film, TV, theatre or gaming.

The Big Idea is working with six respected judges who have a wealth of relevant industry experience between them:

·               Tess Daly – TV broadcaster

·               Neil Blair –  J.K. Rowling’s agent

·               Barry Cunningham OBE – Children’s publisher

·               Debra Hayward – Film producer

·               Sonia Friedman – Theatre producer

·               Philip Ardagh – Children’s author and literary critic

The judges will work together to choose six winning ideas. The winners will each receive £1000 plus the chance to see their idea come to life, with one overall winner offered the prize of a publishing contract and the promise of their idea being nurtured, developed and written by a well-known author. As Neil Blair explains, ‘The Big Idea is an exciting new way to bring new children’s stories to life by going to the heart of every one of them: the big idea at their core.’

The overall winner’s publishing contract will be in line with industry standards, with a shared royalty on every copy sold. The six winners could additionally see their idea work across a variety of media platforms, including film, TV, gaming, websites, apps and stage, with a commensurate royalty share.

Entering couldn’t be easier, and creative writing ability isn’t a requirement – entrants simply need to outline their original idea in up to 750 words, describing what happens in the story, who’s in it, where it takes place and the type of audience it’s intended for. Entrants can visit the website at www.thebigideacompetition.co.uk for creative advice and look out for top tips and inspiration on The Big Idea’s social media channels. The competition opens on Monday July 7^th and the winning ideas will be announced in early November.

Tess Daly adds, ‘All the best children’s books come from a great idea, and a great idea can come from anywhere! I’ve joined forces with The Big Idea to celebrate Britain’s talent for storytelling and creativity. There are so many people who have a seed of an idea for a book, film or TV programme but don’t know what to do with it, so this is their chance to get support from the best. I love sharing and making up my own stories with my children – so I can’t wait to help uncover the next big story idea to be loved by adults and children alike.’

Competition closing date: 2nd September 2014